NORTHERN IRELAND

Departmental Official Hospitality

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much his Department spent on hospitality for events hosted by each Minister in his Department in  (a) May and  (b) June 2010.

Owen Paterson: The total amount spent is as follows:
	 (a) May 2010: £0
	 (b) June 2010: £204.63

Departmental Operating Costs

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he has taken to reduce the running costs of his Department since his appointment.

Owen Paterson: The Northern Ireland Office (NIO), like other Government Departments, is developing its plans to reduce running costs in the context of the 2010 Spending Review which will set departmental budgets for the financial years 2011-12 to 2014-15. The spending review will report in the autumn by which time the Department will have firmed up target cost savings over the next four financial years.
	It should be noted that policing and justice functions, that were previously the responsibility of the Northern Ireland Office, were devolved to the Northern Ireland Assembly on 12 April and any historical cost comparisons will be difficult due to the significant restructuring.

Departmental Pay

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much was paid in remuneration in total to civil servants in his Department in 2009-10.

Owen Paterson: Following devolution comparable figures for the Department as it is now configured are no longer available.

Departmental Speeches

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland which  (a) (i) civil servants and (ii) special advisers in his Department and  (b) other individuals are employed to write speeches for each Minister in his Department.

Owen Paterson: No civil servants, special advisers or other individuals in the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) are employed specifically to write speeches for Ministers.

JUSTICE

Bribery Act 2010

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  when he plans to publish guidance for businesses on the provisions of the Bribery Act 2010;
	(2)  how he plans to consult on implementing the provisions of the Bribery Act 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Crispin Blunt: I refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement made by my right hon. Friend, the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice on 20 July 2010,  Official Report, column 12WS.

Corruption: Public Service;

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 6 July 2010,  Official Report, column 161W, on corruption: public service; if he will place in the Library a copy of the  (a) agenda and  (b) minutes of each of the five meetings of the Foreign Bribery Strategy Board.

Kenneth Clarke: The agendas and minutes of each of the five meetings of the Foreign Bribery Strategy Board will be placed in the Library, where they do not meet the exemptions set out in the Freedom of Information Act under Section 31 (law enforcement) or Section 35 (formulation of government policy).

Deportation: Offenders

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will bring forward proposals that all EU citizens in a prison in the UK be deported to their home country immediately.

Crispin Blunt: Council Framework Decision 2008/909/JHA on the application of the principle of mutual recognition to judgments in criminal matters imposing custodial sentences or measures involving deprivation of liberty for the purpose of their enforcement in the European Union was adopted on 27 November 2008. The Framework Decision provides for the compulsory transfer of prisoners who are subject to a deportation order or who are being transferred to their country of nationality in which they normally reside. Member states have three years in which to implement the Framework Decision and to put in place the required legislative framework. The Framework Decision will enter into force in December 2011. The Government cannot unilaterally bring forward the date of implementation.
	The deportation of foreign national prisoners at the end of their sentence is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary. However, foreign national prisoners cannot be deported before their earliest removal date under the Early Removal Scheme. Foreign national prisoners are referred to the UK Border Agency before the end of their custodial sentence so that they can be considered for deportation action.

High Cost Case Unit: Costs

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much was spent by the High Cost Case Unit on the 10 most costly case proceedings in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Jonathan Djanogly: For very high cost criminal cases, the highest cost contracts for which the contract was concluded in 2009-10 were as follows. These are the total costs paid for the full life of the contract:
	1. £3,369,043
	2. £3,359,950
	3. £3,005,629
	4. £2,525,846
	5. £2,124,175
	6. £2,014,370
	7. £1,754,390
	8. £1,594,644
	9. £1,517,507
	10. £1,433,601
	For very high cost civil cases, the highest cost cases for which the final bill was paid in 2009-10 were as follows. All these cases were successful and the opponents paid the costs specified in full.
	1. £805,000
	2. £752,500
	3. £729,750
	4. £717,000
	5. £591,450
	6. £550,000
	7. £548,002
	8. £503,500
	9. £499,662
	10. £495,833

High Cost Case Unit: Costs

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much the High Cost Case Unit spent on  (a) solicitors' costs,  (b) counsels' fees and  (c) disbursements in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Jonathan Djanogly: Legal aid expenditure on solicitors' costs, counsels' fees and disbursements under the very high cost case (VHCC) scheme in criminal cases during the 12 months between 1 April 2009 and 31 March 2010, was as follows:
	
		
			   £ million 
			 Solicitor 50.64 
			 Counsel 29.87 
			 Disbursement (1)15.09 
			 Total Cost 95.60 
			 (1) Includes payments made to advocates who were not part of the VHCC panel. 
		
	
	Civil VHCC costs are not recorded in a similar way and corresponding figures are therefore not readily available.

High Cost Case Unit: Costs

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much was spent by the High Cost Case Unit on case proceedings in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Jonathan Djanogly: The net cash spend authorised for payment for very high cost cases in financial year 2009-10 was:
	
		
			   £ million 
			 Civil(1) 78.6 
			 Criminal(2) 95.6 
			 (1) These are cases where the costs are likely to exceed £25,000 and are funded since 2000 under the Access to Justice Act. (2) These are cases where they trial length is expected to be 41 days or more, or cases with expected trial length of 25-40 days with complexity factors that justified the application of VHCC controls.

Legal Services Commission: Immigration

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many of the Legal Services Commission offices in the South East given immigration new matter starts from October 2010 are in  (a) Slough,  (b) Reading and  (c) Windsor and Maidenhead;
	(2)  how many of the Legal Services Commission  (a) immigration new matter starts and  (b) asylum new matter starts awarded in the South East have been given to providers based in (i) Slough, (ii) Reading and (iii) Windsor and Maidenhead.

Jonathan Djanogly: The tender process for Immigration Services is not yet complete and we therefore cannot provide details of the organisations that have been successful. The tender will conclude once all appeals have been resolved which we anticipate will be in mid September 2010.

Magistrates Courts

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many  (a) court rooms and  (b) court rooms in use there are in (i) Denbigh magistrates court and (ii) Rhyl county court.

Jonathan Djanogly: There is one court room at Denbigh magistrates court which sits one day per week. There are two court rooms at Rhyl county court which are used five days per week.

Magistrates Courts

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the court utilisation rate was for  (a) Denbigh magistrates court and  (b) Rhyl county court in the last 12 month period for which figures are available; and what the utilisation rate was for each courtroom in each such case.

Jonathan Djanogly: Utilisation is only recorded in magistrates courts and by court, not by courtroom. The utilisation rate for Denbigh magistrates court in 2009-10 was 25.6%. The court was used 317 out of 1,239 available hours.
	There were 415 sitting days in Rhyl in 2009-10. Each of the two courtrooms could have been used for up to 248 sitting days each (496 total). Therefore there were sittings at Rhyl in 83.7% of the days that were possible.

Magistrates Courts

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what HM Courts Service's most recent estimate is of the likely case load of  (a) Denbigh magistrates court and  (b) Rhyl county court in each of the next three years.

Jonathan Djanogly: No estimate has been made of the future case load of each of these courts in the next three years. Forecasting is not carried out at individual court level.

Magistrates Courts

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will place in the Library a copy of the Court Users Survey in respect of  (a) Denbigh magistrates court and  (b) Rhyl county court.

Jonathan Djanogly: Statistics from the HM Courts Service User Survey are not available at the level of individual courts due to small sample sizes. In 2008-09 (the latest year for which user survey statistics have been published), 67% of users interviewed for the survey at court locations in North Wales said that they were 'very' or 'fairly' satisfied with their court experience, 17% were neither satisfied nor dissatisfied, while 15% said that they were 'very' or 'fairly' dissatisfied. The corresponding figures for court users interviewed across the whole of England and Wales were 83%, 9% and 8% respectively. A report of the results for 2009-10 is due to be published on the Ministry of Justice website in October 2010 at:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/hmcsusersurvey.htm

Magistrates Courts

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the future caseload of Llwynypia magistrates court.

Jonathan Djanogly: No estimate has been made of the future case load of Llwynypia magistrates court. Forecasting is not carried out at individual court level.

Magistrates Courts

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many cases were heard in  (a) Denbigh magistrates court and  (b) Rhyl county court in each of the last three financial years.

Jonathan Djanogly: The number of completed proceedings in Denbigh and Prestatyn magistrates court and completed civil (non-family) court proceedings in Rhyl county court, from 2007-08 to 2009-10, are given in Table 1. Centrally collected information does not allow the separate identification of those completed at Denbigh magistrates court specifically.
	Tables 2 and 3 show the number of orders made in relation to family cases at Rhyl county court in these years.
	
		
			  Table 1: Completed court proceedings in Denbigh and Prestatyn magistrates court and Rhyl county court 2007-08  to  2009-10 
			   Total number of completed court proceedings in Denbigh and Prestatyn magistrates court  Total number of civil proceedings completed in Rhyl county court 
			 2007-08 6,200 619 
			 2008-09 6,200 634 
			 2009-10 (provisional) 6,500 478 
			  Notes: 1. Total number of completed cases in Denbigh and Prestatyn magistrates court includes all criminal proceedings, adult breach proceedings, and non-criminal proceedings (civil and family applications and means enquiries, representation orders and special jurisdiction). 2. Total number of civil proceedings completed in Rhyl county court includes all cases disposed of by a trial or small claim hearing, or which saw an order for possession of property made at a hearing 3. Magistrates court data have been given to the nearest hundred.  Source: Completed Proceedings, HM Courts Service Performance Database ('OPT'), HM Courts Service CaseMan system and Possession Claim On-Line system 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2 Orders made relating to private and public law family cases in Rhyl county court 2007-08 to 2009-10 
			   Total number of children involved in public and private law family proceedings completed in Rhyl county court 
			 2007-08 417 
			 2008-09 480 
			 2009-10 n/a 
			  Notes: 1. Figures relate to the number of children subject to each application. 2. Public law refers to child protection cases where a local authority is stepping in to protect a child from harm. Private law refers to cases where there is a dispute between two or more private individuals regarding a child. For example, over where he/she is to live or whether someone should have contact with him/her. Both are cases brought under the Children Act 1989. (3) Statistics for 2009-10 are not yet available; 2009 data are due to be published in September 2010.  Source: HM Courts Service FamilyMan system 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3 Completed family court proceedings in Rhyl county court 2007-08 to 2009-10 
			   Total number of family proceedings completed in Rhyl county court and High Court 
			 2007-08 692 
			 2008-09 666 
			 2009-10 (provisional) 400 
			  Notes: 1. Figures include orders made in the District Registry of the High Court in Rhyl, and exclude public and private law cases. 2. Figures include cases related to domestic violence injunctions, dissolution and nullity of marriage and ancillary relief. 3. One case may include more than one type of ancillary relief order.  Source: HM Courts Service FamilyMan system

Magistrates Courts

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many cases were disposed of in chambers in  (a) Denbigh magistrates court and  (b) Rhyl county court in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Jonathan Djanogly: Cases are not disposed of in chambers in the magistrates courts. The number of cases disposed of in chambers in Rhyl county court is not held centrally; where this information is recorded on case files held by the courts it could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Magistrates Courts

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many cases have been transferred to other courts from  (a) Rhyl county court and  (b) Denbigh magistrates court in each of the last three years.

Jonathan Djanogly: The following table shows the number of civil and family case transfers from Rhyl county court to another court in each of the last three years:
	
		
			  Family and civil cases transfers from Rhyl county court 
			  Financial year  Number 
			 2007-08 270 
			 2008-09 237 
			 2009-10 256 
			  Notes:  1. The data reflect the number of case transfers where a case was transferred from Rhyl county court to another court. This data do not equal the number of individual cases transferred as some cases may be transferred more than once.  2. The number of family transfer events include those made in the District Registry in the High Court in Rhyl. This is because it is not possible distinguish between county and High court transfers for all types of family.   Source:  HMCS FamilyMan system and HMCS Manual returns obtained through One Performance Truth Database. 
		
	
	The number of cases transferred from Denbigh magistrates court to other magistrates courts is not held centrally as it is not recorded by court staff electronically as part of their routine daily administrative duties. The only means to collect this data would be the inspection of each individual case files at disproportionate cost.

Magistrates Courts

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many cases were heard in the magistrates court in Llwynypia in each of the last five years.

Jonathan Djanogly: The number of completed magistrates court proceedings in Llwynypia and Pontypridd magistrates courts, from 2007-08 to 2009-10, are given in the table. Centrally collected information does not allow the separate identification of those completed at Llwynypia specifically. These statistics are not available prior to 2007-08 on a comparable basis.
	
		
			  Completed proceedings in Llwynypia and Pontypridd magistrates courts, 2007-08 to 2009-10 
			   Total number of completed criminal proceedings (including breaches)  Total number of completed non-criminal proceedings  Total number of completed court proceedings 
			 2007-08 8,500 4,000 12,400 
			 2008-09 7,100 4,100 11,200 
			 2009-10(1) 6,800 3,200 10,000 
			 (1) Provisional.   Notes:  1. Criminal proceedings include indictable/triable-either-way, adult breach proceedings, adult summary motoring and non-motoring proceedings, and youth proceedings.  2. Non-criminal proceedings include civil and family applications and means inquiries, representation orders and special jurisdiction.  3. All figures are given to the nearest hundred, and therefore the cases may not sum to the total as a result.  4. Prior to April 2007, data were collected from different administrative systems and are not directly comparable with those given in the table. For this reason, the table shows the figures from 2007 only.   Source:  Completed Proceedings, HM Courts Service Performance Database ('OPT').

Magistrates Courts

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many witnesses and defendants failed to attend court at  (a) the Llwynypia magistrates court,  (b) the county court in Pontypridd,  (c) the magistrates court in Aberdare and  (d) the magistrates court in Pontypridd in each of the last five years.

Jonathan Djanogly: Information about the number of witnesses and defendants failing to attend the county court in Pontypridd and the magistrates courts is not held centrally, as it is not recorded by court staff electronically as part of their routine daily administrative duties.
	Furthermore, the information collected does not separately identify cases completed at Llwynypia magistrates court is collected from those at Pontypridd magistrates court.
	Information on the number of criminal trials at Llwynypia and Pontypridd magistrates courts and Aberdare magistrates court which were either 'ineffective' (does not commence on due date and is re-listed) or 'cracked' (did not commence on the due date and was not listed) due to non-attendance for defendants and witnesses, from 2007-08 to 2009-10, is given in the table as follows. Statistics are not available prior to 2007-08 at a court level.
	Information about the number of witnesses and defendants failing to attend the county court in Pontypridd is not held centrally.
	
		
			  Non-attendance of defendants and witnesses in criminal trials recorded in the magistrates courts, April 2007-09 
			  Magistrates courts  Number of trials where the defendant is absent( 1)  Percentage of the cases where the defendant is absent  Number of trials where the witness is absent( 2)  Percentage of the cases where the witness is absent  Total number of trials 
			  Aberdare  
			 2007-08 6 3 4 2 238 
			 2008-09 2 1 6 3 198 
			 2009-10 4 2 4 2 191 
			   
			  Pontypridd( 3)  
			 2007-08 6 1 21 4 579 
			 2008-09 14 3 15 3 484 
			 2009-10 13 3 24 5 504 
			 (1 )Witnesses are defined as both professional, police and other witnesses for both the defence and prosecution.  (2) Prior to April 2007, data were collected from different administrative systems and are not directly comparable with those given in the table. For this reason, the table shows the figures from 2007-08 to 2009-10 only. (3) The figures correspond to trials only and exclude all non-attendance when trials did not occur.   Source:  Trials, HM courts service Performance Database (OPT).

Magistrates Courts: Ammanford

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answers of 1 July 2010,  Official Report, column 615W, on magistrates' courts: Ammanford, 12 July 2010,  Official Report, column 582W, on Ammanford magistrates' court and 13 July 2010,  Official Report, column 636W, on Ammanford magistrates' court, whether the operating costs for 2009-10 are inclusive of the refurbishment and maintenance costs.

Jonathan Djanogly: The operating costs are inclusive of the refurbishment and maintenance costs.

Magistrates Courts: Closures

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what staff-related costs will be incurred by the closure of  (a) Denbigh magistrates court and  (b) Rhyl county court in respect of (i) additional fares, (ii) additional travelling time and (iii) voluntary redundancy.

Jonathan Djanogly: The proposals on the court estate are currently out to public consultation and until responses to the consultation have been considered in full, no decision on court closures will be taken. As it is not known whether and which courts will close, no assessment has been made of the effect on staffing numbers or costs. Implementation planning will only occur once decisions have been taken and staff redeployment will form part of that planning. My Department will continue to discuss the proposals with staff and with the trade unions.

Magistrates Courts: Closures

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether the cost of the maintenance backlog was included in his estimate of the likely level of savings to the public purse of the closure of  (a) Denbigh magistrates court and  (b) Rhyl county court; and whether funding for the maintenance backlog has been allocated.

Jonathan Djanogly: As indicted in the consultation papers, if these courts were to close it would remove the need for HMCS investment in backlog maintenance. Maintenance backlog figures are therefore separate from estimates of likely savings. Funding for maintenance backlogs has not been allocated.
	Closure of all 157 courts covered in the consultation would achieve running cost savings of around £15.3 million per year. These courts also have backlog maintenance of around £21.5 million, costs that can be avoided if the closures go ahead.

Magistrates Courts: Manpower

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many full-time equivalent staff are employed at Llwynypia magistrates court.

Jonathan Djanogly: There are no staff permanently located at Llwynypia magistrates court. Staff based at Pontypridd magistrates court travel to Llwynypia for hearings.

Magistrates Courts: Repairs and Maintenance

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what maintenance costs were incurred by his Department in respect of  (a) Denbigh magistrates court and  (b) Rhyl county court in each of the last three years.

Jonathan Djanogly: The maintenance costs in respect of Denbigh magistrates court and Rhyl county court in each of the last three years were:
	
		
			   £ 
			  Denbigh magistrates court  
			 2007-08 21,594.78 
			 2008-09 43,642.75 
			 2009-10 24,855.26 
			   
			  Rhyl county court  
			 2007-08 39,262.60 
			 2008-09 23,318.17 
			 2009-10 18,045.37

Magistrates Courts: Repairs and Maintenance

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the maintenance costs of the magistrates court in Llwynypia were in each of the last five years.

Jonathan Djanogly: The maintenance costs at Llwynypia magistrates court for each of the last five years were:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2005-06 29,153.14 
			 2006-07 30,120.10 
			 2007-08 40,234.49 
			 2008-09 41,810.60 
			 2009-10 49,882.39

Magistrates Courts: Unpaid Fines

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many and what percentage of court fines in each  (a) region,  (b) county and  (c) magistrates court area levied in each of the last three years were unpaid and outstanding at the end of each such year.

Jonathan Djanogly: HMCS systems do not currently identify how many fines imposed within a year are paid within the same period, this information could be provided only at disproportionate cost as it would require a manual search of all fine accounts.
	However HMCS's systems can identify the amounts imposed within the last three years for all HMCS regions and Local Criminal Justice Board areas. These data together with the total amount outstanding at the end of each year are set out in the following table. The outstanding balance has risen through the application of a strict policy that only allows fines to be written off in certain circumstances. The outstanding balance includes fines imposed a number of years ago during the period when fines could not be cancelled (2004-06) and fines which are being paid by instalments.
	
		
			  Total a mount imposed( 1) 
			  £ 
			  Area/Region  2007-08  2008-09  2009-10 
			 London 63,881,319 72,107,785 81,628,882 
			  Total London Region 63,881319 72,107,785 81,628,882 
			 
			 Derbyshire 6,128,288 5,840,197 4,844,153 
			 Leicestershire 5,691,250 5,877,021 6,030,574 
			 Lincolnshire 4,191,695 5,096,991 4,823,958 
			 Northamptonshire 4,430,561 4,330,940 4,721,076 
			 Nottinghamshire 6,838,997 6,654,544 6,382,228 
			 Staffordshire 8,766,857 8,698,559 8,136,476 
			 Warwickshire 2,875,248 2,786,476 3,330,822 
			 West Mercia 8,099,918 9,447,891 8,422,160 
			 West Midlands 24,097,581 21,768,797 21,852,536 
			  Total Midlands Region 71,120336 70,501,416 68,553,559 
			 
			 Cleveland 3,780,148 3,615,467 3,868,689 
			 Durham 3,217,879 3,542,418 3,192,452 
			 Humberside 6,201,707 6,910,237 6,756,725 
			 North Yorkshire 4,323,495 4,371,260 4,219,649 
			 Northumbria 9,720,095 10,463,694 10,568,454 
			 South Yorkshire 7,406,408 9,048,523 9,039,246 
			 West Yorkshire 15,428,776 14,881,498 16,635,550 
			  Total North East Region 50,078,508 52,833,097 54,280,765 
			 
			 Cheshire 7,933,967 7,334,673 7,502,097 
			 Cumbria 3,877,892 4,100,879 3,817,499 
			 Greater Manchester 18,632,285 19,635,012 19,267,431 
			 Lancashire 10,906,582 12,392,009 11,104,491 
			 Merseyside 9,769,352 12,106,880 12,026,583 
			  Total North West Region 51,120,079 55,569,453 53,718,100 
			 
			 Bedfordshire 3,716,219 4,041,563 4,512,392 
			 Cambridgeshire 5,257,762 4,563,054 4,968,180 
			 Essex 11,017,192 11,525,831 12,156,939 
			 Hertfordshire 8,364,744 8,285,229 9,382,421 
			 Kent 11,484,589 12,546,283 11,461,258 
			 Norfolk 4,791,859 5,708,267 4,568,442 
			 Suffolk 4,227,603 6,053,635 5,555,237 
			 Surrey 6,366,071 6,139,960 6,189,029 
			 Sussex 8,562,023 8,091,108 10,433,954 
			 Thames Valley 12,856,332 13,820,088 14,882,513 
			  Total South East Region 76,644,394 80,775,018 83,224,865 
			 
			 Avon and Somerset 10,746,004 10,046,264 9,586,385 
			 Devon and Cornwall 9,956,166 7,759,109 7,770,868 
			 Dorset 3,759,611 4,627,389 4,888,527 
			 Gloucestershire 2,772,484 2,517,262 2,904,006 
			 Hampshire and Isle of Wight 8,564,753 9,951,872 11,191,949 
			 Wiltshire 4,358,317 5,356,348 4,982,425 
			  Total South West Region 40,157,335 40,258,244 41,324,159 
			 
			 Dyfed Powys 3,055,546 3,538,439 3,270,439 
			 Gwent 4,523,699 3,985,405 4,528,698 
			 North Wales 4,483,844 4,813,034 5,900,141 
			 South Wales 11,504,822 9,364,748 9,355,058 
			  Total Wales 23,562,911 21,701,626 23,054,337 
			  Total amount outstanding:
			 
			 London 117,318,452 126,959,900 142,475,774 
			  Total London Region 117,318,452 126,959,900 142,475,774 
			 
			 Derbyshire 7,487,182 7,910,599 7,728,859 
			 Leicestershire 5,475,952 4,807,071 5,881,157 
			 Lincolnshire 5,757,706 6,309,425 5,957,325 
			 Northamptonshire 5,113,088 5,544,837 5,576,232 
			 Nottinghamshire 4,501,937 4,855,449 5,539,840 
			 Staffordshire 11,728,465 11,509,685 4,728,312 
			 Warwickshire 3,221,730 3,006,384 3,279,018 
			 West Mercia 9,313,961 10,709,950 12,060,610 
			 West Midlands 39,926,402 41,341,778 44,621,598 
			  Total Midlands Region 92,523,423 95,995,178 101,524,907 
			 
			 Cleveland 5,886,347 5,606,269 5,174,134 
			 Durham 3,748,457 3,379,032 3,595,330 
			 Humberside 9,561,189 10,257,748 10,076,884 
			 North Yorkshire 3,214,673 3,797,705 4,117,398 
			 Northumbria 11,460,962 13,835,201 14,761,027 
			 South Yorkshire 7,207,038 8,173,418 9,270,998 
			 West Yorkshire 12,890,971 8,085,565 3,279,018 
			  Total North East Region 52,969,638 59,901,794 64,063,145 
			 
			 Cheshire 11,207,571 11,809,900 11,485,719 
			 Cumbria 3,225,093 3,368,566 3,384,180 
			 Greater Manchester 27,384,881 30,659,063 33,159,738 
			 Lancashire 12,236,463 13,870,361 13,111,327 
			 Merseyside 24,576,991 27,054,637 28,957,510 
			  Total North West Region 78,630,999 86,762,529 90,098,475 
			 
			 Bedfordshire 2,929,160 3,488,383 3,818,893 
			 Cambridgeshire 5,471,185 4,582,639 4,807,179 
			 Essex 10,068,331 12,635,361 12,852,199 
			 Hertfordshire 10,624,124 11,976,897 13,565,118 
			 Kent 17,645,077 19,402,260 20,522,744 
			 Norfolk 4,911,783 5,258,805 5,165,121 
			 Suffolk 2,648,849 4,224,885 4,728,312 
			 Surrey 5,273,909 5,696,496 6,125,559 
			 Sussex 12,726,870 13,939,448 15,390,751 
			 Thames Valley 22,465,362 22,946,204 24,507,506 
			  Total South East Region 94,764,649 104,151,377 111,483,442 
			 
			 Avon and Somerset 9,379,982 11,184,221 11,885,521 
			 Devon and Cornwall 2,929,160 6,407,447 7,118,202 
			 Dorset 4,878,557 5,679,185 6,306,732 
			 Gloucestershire 3,609,646 3,595,701 3,651,902 
			 Hampshire and Isle of Wight 10,933,502 12,127,133 15,118,051 
			 Wiltshire 3,711,278 5,085,565 5,741,376 
			  Total South West Region 38,869,240 44,079,253 49,821,783 
			 
			 Dyfed Powys 3,324,554 3,955,288 4,325,342 
			 Gwent 5,857,625 5,903,094 5,617,483 
			 North Wales 6,367,896 7,303,005 8,598,513 
			 South Wales 10,004,092 9,879,206 10,466,440 
			  Total Wales 25,554,167 29,007,777 29,007,777 
			 (1) Total amount imposed includes financial impositions made in the magistrates courts which include fines, compensation, costs and victims surcharge along with fines ordered in the crown court and unpaid fixed penalty notices and public notices for disorder which are transferred to HMCS for collection as a fine.

Magistrates Courts: Wales

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many cases originally listed for hearing at Pwllheli magistrates court were transferred for hearing before Caernarfon magistrates court in each year from 2006;
	(2)  how many cases were transferred for hearing from Llangefni magistrates court to Holyhead magistrates court in each year from 2006 to 2009;
	(3)  how many cases were dealt with by district judges in the counties of Gwynedd and Ynys Môn in each year from 2006 to 2009.

Jonathan Djanogly: The Ministry of Justice does not hold information electronically on cases that are transferred between courts nor on the amount of cases dealt with by district judges in the magistrates courts.
	The information is not held centrally, as it is not recorded by court staff electronically as part of their routine daily administrative duties. It may be that the information is held within individual case files but the inspection of these could be done only at disproportionate cost.

Magistrates Courts: Wales

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the running costs of Pwllheli magistrates court were in each year from 2006 to 2009.

Jonathan Djanogly: The running costs for Pwllheli magistrates court from 2005-06 to 2009-10 were as follows:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2005-06 20,710 
			 2006-07 43,885 
			 2007-08 34,648 
			 2008-09 56,384 
			 2009-10 45,590

Magistrates Courts: Wales

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what capital expenditure his Department incurred in maintenance of the venue for Pwllheli magistrates court in each year from 2006 to 2009; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan Djanogly: The capital costs for Pwllheli magistrates court were zero for each of these years. The resource maintenance figures for these years, which form part of the overall running costs, are provided in the following table.
	
		
			   £ 
			 2005-06 7,725 
			 2006-07 29,181 
			 2007-08 13,292 
			 2008-09 19,536 
			 2009-10 17,913

Prisons: Population

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what his most recent estimate is of the level of  (a) numeracy and  (b) literacy in the prison population in England and Wales.

Crispin Blunt: Neither the National Offender Management Services (NOMS) nor the Skills Funding Agency routinely collect this information.
	However the Skills Funding Agency are able to provide information on the number of literacy and numeracy-related learning aims prisoners were enrolled upon in the last full academic year for which figures are available (August 2008 to July 2009) as recorded on Individualised Learner Records In the 2008-09 academic year prisoners were enrolled upon a total of 243,100 learning aims, with 39,888 of those aims in a literacy-related subject (16%) and 34,804 aims in numeracy-related subjects (14%).
	Education in Welsh prisons is delivered through a different model. The number of prisoners in Welsh public sector prisons who started a basic skills course and achieved an accreditation during 2009-10 was 39%.

Wales

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will make an assessment of the likely effects on Wales of his Department's planned spending reductions.

Kenneth Clarke: The Government set out in its document 'Spending Review Framework' that it will:
	"look closely at the effects of its decisions on different groups in society, especially the least well off, and on different regions." (2.4, page 7)
	Further information will be available at the spending review.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Departmental Billing

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what information his Department holds on the time taken by contractors employed by it to pay the invoices of their sub-contractors under prompt payment arrangements; and if he will make a statement.

John Penrose: This Department does not hold data on payments to sub-contractors by our first tier suppliers.

Olympic Delivery Authority

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how much the Olympic Delivery Authority has spent on  (a) polling and  (b) focus groups in each of the last three years.

Hugh Robertson: Spending by the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) on polling and focus groups has been mainly on research to support the delivery of a successful transport operation for the 2012 games. The amount spent during the past three financial years is in the table:
	
		
			   Amount (£) 
			 2007-08 118,766.94 
			 2008-09 167,328.69 
			 2009-10 62,942.50 
		
	
	The proportions carried out by  (a) polling and  (b) focus groups are not recorded.

Radio Frequencies

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what plans he has for the future use of the analogue spectrum after digital switchover.

Edward Vaizey: Around a quarter of all radio listening is now to digital, so a future transition to digital radio continues to gain impetus. However, we believe that FM analogue broadcasting will continue for the foreseeable future and for at least as long as it is needed as a platform for local radio.
	It would not be in anyone's interest to force stations on to DAB or to 'switch off' FM at a time when it would leave local and community stations without an appropriate broadcast platform. Radio broadcasting on FM will therefore continue for as long as it is needed and viable.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Commonwealth

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development to which Commonwealth organisations his Department provides grant funding; and how much it has provided to each in each of the last 10 years.

Alan Duncan: Details of funding from the Department for International Development (DFID) to Commonwealth programmes since 2002 are provided in the following table. The requested information cannot be provided for previous years without incurring disproportionate cost.
	
		
			   2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008  2009  2010 
			 The Commonwealth Fund for Technical Cooperation 5,963 5,578 7,309 3,978 7,329 11,003 8,475 8,750 8,750 
			 The Commonwealth Youth Programme 696 726 719 828 726 1,299 906 844 850 
			 The Commonwealth Foundation 427 252 259 265 272 253 260 260 260 
			 The Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan 3,684 11,015 16,695 12,610 14,430 14,400 17,735 17,985 17,500 
			 The Commonwealth of Learning 1,000 1,000 769 1,231 1,000 1,100 1,100 1,100 1,100 
			 The Commonwealth Local Government Forum - (1)235 (1)180 (1)523 (1)558 (1)504 540 654 943 
			 The Commonwealth Media Development Fund 193 165 200 200 200 220 - - - 
			 (1) These amounts are spend in the financial years 2002-3, 2003-4, 2004-5, 2005-6 and 2006-7

Departmental Communication

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what instructions have been issued by the private office of each Minister in his Department on the preparation of briefing, speeches and replies to official correspondence.

Alan Duncan: The Department for International Development (DFID) ensures guidance is available to staff on our intranet pages regarding the preparation of briefing, speeches and replies to correspondence. When any Minister joins DFID, this guidance is updated to reflect the new Minister's preferred writing style. This requires staff to use plain English, avoid acronyms and use a clear structure.

Departmental Official Cars

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department has spent on the Government Car Service since the Government took office.

Alan Duncan: The Department for International Development (DFID) paid the Government Car Service £45,737.59, between 12 May and 12 June 2010.
	DFID has given notice to GCS that we are terminating our contracts for allocated ministerial cars and drivers for the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State and myself, and intend to use the new government car pool for ministerial travel purposes as soon as this is in place.

Haiti: Earthquakes

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which organisations have received funding from his Department as part of the aid mission following the earthquake in Haiti in January 2010.

Alan Duncan: Funding provided by the Department for International Development (DFID) to non-governmental organisations and multilateral organisations to assist the relief operation in Haiti are provided as follows:
	
		
			   Amount (£) 
			  Non governmental organisation  
			 Merlin 399,000 
			 Agency for Technical Co-operation and Development (ACTED) 400,000 
			 Action Against Hunger (ACF) 1,000,000 
			 Handicap International 500,000 
			 Oxfam 1,000,000 
			   
			  Multilateral organisation  
			 Office for Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) 1,000,000 
			 World Food Programme (WFP) 2,000,000 
			 Pan-American Health Organisation/World Health Organisation (PAHO/WHO) 300,000 
			 International Organisation for Migration (IOM) 1,120,000 
			 International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) 1,220,000 
			 International Organisation for Migration (IOM) (Through UK Stabilisation Unit) 465,000

Overseas Aid

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps are being taken to ensure that overseas aid is used for its intended purposes.

Alan Duncan: The Department for International Development (DFID) has established a strong set of controls to manage the risk of misuse of funds. We protect our funds in three ways: by ensuring that the funds were paid to the intended recipient, that the funds have been used for the purposes agreed, and that the use of the funds has been audited.
	The UK Government are introducing a new 'Aid Transparency Guarantee', which will make our aid fully transparent to citizens in both the UK and recipient countries. Aid transparency is critical to improving aid effectiveness and value for money, and reduces waste, fraud and corruption.
	The Secretary of State has also taken the first steps towards creating a new independent aid watchdog to review the effectiveness of DFID programmes. In addition we will modify the way that programmes are designed so that gathering rigorous evidence is built in from the day they start.

Palestinians: International Assistance

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent steps his Department has taken to alleviate the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

Alan Duncan: The humanitarian situation in Gaza is stable but fragile, with 75% of Gazans dependent on food aid. We have recently contributed £19 million to the 2010 general budget of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which provides basic services to Palestinian refugees across the region. UNRWA spends about 30% of its budget in Gaza, providing education, health care, social services and food aid to the 1 million Gazans who are registered refugees.
	The UK also funds a UN team who co-ordinate and facilitate the movement of aid and other necessary items into Gaza.
	We are looking at what further steps we can take in the light of the recent announcement by Israel that it will reduce access restrictions and allow a larger range and volume of aid and goods into Gaza.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Departmental Location

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether he plans to relocate  (a) civil servants and  (b) Government bodies for which his Department is responsible (i) out of London and (ii) to the West Midlands; and if he will make a statement.

Gregory Barker: The location of public sector activity and plans for the Government's estate will be considered alongside other public spending issues over the course of the spending review.

Departmental Offices

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will take steps to relocate officials working in his Department from central London to Bassetlaw.

Gregory Barker: The location of public sector activity and plans for the Government's estate will be considered alongside other public spending issues over the course of the spending review.

Departmental Operating Costs

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he has taken to reduce the running costs of his Department since his appointment.

Gregory Barker: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave the right hon. Member for Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough (Mr Blunkett) on 19 July 2010,  Official Report, column 72W, which sets out how DECC has made £85 million in savings as part of the announcement by the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 24 May of wider public expenditure reductions in 2010-11.

Natural Gas: Utilities

Christopher Pincher: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he is taking to increase the number of gas energy suppliers.

Charles Hendry: Great Britain has a strong, well-functioning competitive energy market with a diverse range licensed gas suppliers. Ofgem has found that liquidity in the gas supply market compares well with liquidity in other markets, suggesting a healthy level of competition and freedom for new energy suppliers to enter the market. Were barriers to entry for new gas suppliers to be identified, Government and Ofgem would take action to address these issues as appropriate. With regard to the liquid petroleum gas (LPG) market, the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) is currently reviewing the effect of the Competition Commission Orders for the domestic bulk LPG market.

Radioactive Waste: Waste Management

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change from what budget payment for costs of dealing with nuclear waste exceeding  (a) the fixed unit price for waste disposal and  (b) the contingency cost budgets for such disposal is drawn.

Charles Hendry: The Government's policy is that the price paid by operators of new nuclear power stations for the disposal of their higher activity radioactive wastes should be sufficient to meet their full share of waste disposal costs. The precise details of this scheme are still under consideration.

Renewable Energy

James Wharton: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether he plans to require energy companies to display on customers' bills the proportion of the total cost used to subsidise renewable energy generation.

Charles Hendry: The Government are committed to improving the transparency of energy bills and improving information to consumers to help them understand and control their energy costs and are currently considering the extent of the information that should be included.
	Ofgem estimate environmental and social programmes and subsidies, including but not limited to support for renewables, account for 8% of the average domestic electricity bill and 3% of the average domestic gas bill. Costs of the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target, the Community Energy Savings Programme, and the Renewables Obligation are included, however, this does not take into account the impact on an average bill of the energy efficiency savings from these policies.
	There are currently no requirements for energy suppliers to put information on subsidies on energy bills. Ofgem have produced readily available factsheets explaining energy bills which give a breakdown of the costs that make up consumer bills. Some suppliers have chosen to include example cost break downs on bills to improve transparency and we would strongly encourage this.

Renewable Energy

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what his policy is on the role of biomass combustion through gasification in the future renewables mix in the UK.

Charles Hendry: Government recognise that gasification is an important and versatile technology which can be used to convert biomass or bio based waste into a range of energy outputs. Gasification is supported through the renewables obligation, with electricity produced through innovative advanced gasification processes qualifying for two renewable obligation certificates.

Renewable Energy

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will commission a review of the comparative efficiency of  (a) biomass gasification and  (b) anaerobic digestion.

Charles Hendry: Studies on biomass energy conversion efficiencies already exist, as commissioned by the National Non-Food Crops Centre (NNFCC), which provides advice to Government on bio energy and energy from waste technologies. Details are available on the NNFCC website at
	www.nnfcc.co.uk
	and the following reports cover biomass gasification:
	The potential for bio synthetic gas production in the UK (Reference NNFCC 10-008);
	Analysis of greenhouse gas emissions for thermochemical bio synthetic gas production in the UK (Reference NNFCC 10-009);
	Life Cycle and Techno-Economic assessment of the Northeast biomass to liquids project (Reference NNFCC 08-016).
	NNFCC has also commissioned a study on the anaerobic digestion supply chain which will cover efficiency, and this is due for publication shortly. Additional evidence is also being collected through a DECC/DEFRA led project on energy from waste.
	The efficiency of technologies using bioresources will depend on a range of factors, including the composition of biomass or waste feedstock and the energy output, and so are not directly comparable.

Sellafield

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what his Department's policy is on the proposal to provide a new manufacturing line at the Sellafield MOX plant; and if he will make a statement.

Charles Hendry: The running of the Sellafield MOX Plant (SMP) is an operational matter for the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (a non-departmental public body of DECC, responsible for tackling the nuclear legacy) and its contractor, Sellafield Ltd. As part of an agreement between the NDA and 10 Japanese Utilities, on a framework for manufacturing Japanese fuel in SMP, a programme of engineering improvements is being implemented to enhance the plant's performance. Part of this programme will be the installation of a new rod line.

Wind Power: Yorkshire and the Humber

Simon Reevell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many onshore wind turbines have been built in each constituency in Yorkshire and the Humber in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Charles Hendry: holding answer 13 July 2010
	The Government do not hold information on renewable energy schemes by parliamentary constituency. The number of onshore wind turbines, not including those under 10kW, built in each district in Yorkshire and Humber in each of the last five years is as follows:
	
		
			  District  2005  2006  2007  2008  2009 
			 Calderdale 2 - - - - 
			 City of Leeds - - - 1 - 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire - - 1 3 12 
			 Harrogate - - 1 8 - 
			 Kirklees 1 2 - - 2 
			 North Lincolnshire - - - - 8 
			 Rotherham - - - - 2 
			  Source: AEA technology 
		
	
	The Government are committed to the development of wind energy in the UK. As an island nation we have outstanding wind resources and wind energy is an indigenous source of energy which is needed to meet our renewable energy and climate change goals. The wind industry can be a key player in creating the investment, exports and jobs we need to bring back economic prosperity, and the UK is already a world leader in offshore wind.
	We also want communities and individuals to benefit from the increase in renewable energy, including wind power, and to own a stake in our collective low carbon future. This is why we committed in the coalition programme for government to encouraging more community-owned renewable energy and allowing communities that host renewable energy projects to keep the additional business rates they generate.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the implications for the role of UK personnel in the current counter-insurgency campaign in Afghanistan of reports that the Government will seek to begin the withdrawal of such personnel from Afghanistan by 2015; and if he will make a statement.

Liam Fox: At the London conference on 28 January 2010 the international community agreed with the Afghan Government that we would aim to build up the Afghan security forces to the point where they are ready to take on security responsibility across Afghanistan within five years. This objective was reconfirmed at the G8 meeting in June.
	We would expect UK personnel to move increasingly to a supporting role as the Afghan security forces gradually assume more responsibility for the security of their country. The Prime Minister has said that there will not be British troops in Afghanistan in five years time. There could be some troops there in a training role as part of a wider diplomatic relationship.

Aircraft Carriers

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reasons the 1998 Strategic Defence Review identified aircraft carriers as central to the future configuration of UK armed forces.

Liam Fox: holding answer 19 July 2010
	I refer the hon. Member to the arguments in the 1998 Strategic Defence Review White Paper and supporting essays, which can be found at:
	www.mod.uk/defenceinternet/aboutdefence/corporatepublications/policystrategyandplanning/SDR/strategicdefencereview.htm

Armed Forces: Child Trust Fund

Thomas Docherty: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will assess the effect on service personnel families who have received payments from the Child Trust Fund of the June 2010 Budget.

Andrew Robathan: The effect of the changes of the June 2010 Budget on families of service personnel who have received payments from the Child Trust Fund is no different to that of civilian society.
	As the pay rate for a newly qualified soldier is above the threshold for the additional payments for families on lower incomes, it is anticipated the changes will have a very limited effect across the armed forces.

Armed Forces: Housing

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he plans to take to improve the standard of service family accommodation in Kingston.

Andrew Robathan: The Government will look at whether there is scope to refurbish the armed forces' accommodation in Kingston, and elsewhere, from efficiencies within the Ministry of Defence.

Armed Forces: Reserve Forces

Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what financial support his Department provides to small and medium-sized businesses who allow reservists time off to train and engage in active service.

Nick Harvey: The Reserve Forces Act 1996 (RFA 96) provides the legal framework within which the reserves are formed and called out. It also provides a number of safeguards for the reservist and his/her employer. Under RFA 96, employers, no matter what size the business is, may claim financial assistance in accordance with SI 859 because a member of their staff has been mobilised. Examples of assistance might be agency and advertising costs, and/or the costs of re-training the reservist on his/her return to work.
	When a reservist undertakes training, businesses do not receive financial support. Any leave required by a reservist to attend training should be an agreement made between the employee and their employers. Employers are not obligated to give a reservist additional leave for training, either paid or unpaid. However, many employers choose to do so, because they realise that such training gives them valuable skills that can be transferred directly to the work place. Recent research for the Ministry of Defence and endorsed by the Chartered Management Institute, has calculated that the work experience value to employers gained by reservists deployed on operations is £18,432.

Astute Class Submarines

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for West Bromwich East of 15 June 2010,  Official Report, column 347W, on Astute-class submarines, what progress has been made in re-baselining the drumbeat production level of the Astute-class submarines; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what his most recent estimate is of the future drumbeat level of production of Astute-class submarines; what he expects the  (a) launch and  (b) in-service dates to be of the remaining submarines; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Luff: holding answer 21 July 2010
	All projects are being considered as part of the Strategic Defence and Security Review, and the outcome of this will be announced later this year.
	The re-baselining work, which includes detailed joint planning and cost analysis by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and BAE Systems Submarine Solutions, the prime contractor for the Astute Submarine Programme, is ongoing. The programme production timetable, including expected launch and in-service dates for the Astute class of submarines, can only be confirmed once this work has been completed, and MOD and HM Treasury re-approval has been obtained.

Defence Fire and Rescue Service

Tristram Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people were employed  (a) by Defence Fire and Rescue Service (DFRS),  (b) as DFRS Locally Employed Civilians,  (c) as Royal Navy Aircraft Handlers,  (d) by the Royal Air Force Fire Service,  (e) as contractor agency staff to provide fire protection services and  (f) as associated support staff in each of the last 10 years.

Andrew Robathan: Figures detailing the numbers of people employed in fire protection over the last 10 years are not held centrally and could be provided only at
	disproportionate cost. The following table provides the most recent figures available.
	
		
			  Service ( 1) Numbers 
			 DFRS Employees 1,050 
			 DFRS Locally Employed Civilians(2) 280 
			 Royal Navy Aircraft Handlers(3) 120 
			 Royal Air Force 600 
			 Contracted agency staff 350 
			 Associated support staff 50 
			 (1) Figures provided as at June 2010. All figures have been rounded to 10 (2) Locally employed civilians are working in Cyprus, Gibraltar and Germany (3) This branch of the RN undertakes several functions one of which is fire protection

Defence Fire and Rescue Service

Tristram Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  which private contractors provide fire protection services at his Department's  (a) nuclear storage facilities,  (b) ammunition storage facilities and  (c) married quarters accommodation;
	(2)  which contractors provide fire protection services for his Department; and what the monetary value of the contract is in each case.

Andrew Robathan: The following private contractors provide fire protection services for the Ministry of Defence (MOD):
	Atomic Weapons Establishment Management Limited (AWE ML) is responsible for running the UK's nuclear storage facilities including fire protection services. AWE ML is a consortium comprising Serco, Jacobs and Lockheed Martin.
	For ammunition storage facilities QinetiQ is responsible for running the ammunition trials and disposal facility at Shoeburyness ranges, and Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL), a trading fund of MOD, runs the explosives site at Fort Halstead. QinetiQ provides fire protection services either using their own manpower or through sub-contractors. DSTL sub-contracts fire protection to Serco.
	Married quarters estates lie within the responsibility of local authority fire and rescue services. However contracted fire services will respond if called. Current contracted companies on the MOD estate are QinetiQ at Aberporth, Boscombe Down, and Shoeburyness; Babcock International Group at Valley, and Colerne; and Serco at Cranwell, Scampton, Wyton, and High Wycombe.
	Some of these contractors are also employed to provide fire protection services at other MOD establishments.
	Services contracted for in this way are usually provided under larger multi activity contracts covering a number of sites. The individual contract costs of fire protection are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Civil Servants

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many employees of his Department attended Civil Service Live in  (a) 2008,  (b) 2009 and  (c) 2010; and what estimate he has made of the (i) employee working hours taken up by and (ii) cost to his Department of such attendance in each such year.

Andrew Robathan: The overall delegate numbers from the whole of Government, and private individuals who paid to attend, for Civil Service Live in 2008, 2009 and 2010 were approximately 6,000, 8,000 and 7,700 respectively.
	A detailed record of every member of Ministry of Defence staff that attends the event, and the number of working hours spent at the event is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Operating Costs

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he has taken to reduce the running costs of his Department since his appointment.

Liam Fox: The Department is considering how savings will be achieved through its contributions to the Strategic Defence and Security Review and the Government's spending review, both of which are expected to report towards the end of the year.

Departmental Responsibilities

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to publish his Department's Structural Reform Plan.

Liam Fox: The Ministry of Defence's Structural Reform Plan will depend on the outcome of the Strategic Defence and Security Review. The plan will therefore be published after the review has been completed.

Depleted Uranium

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  if he will make it his policy to support international efforts to ensure transparency in the use of depleted uranium munitions in the 1991 Gulf War and 2003 Iraq War in order to reduce the potential risks to civilians and to facilitate safe management; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  if he will publish the locations and quantity of depleted uranium munitions used by UK forces during the Iraq War; and what steps he has taken to monitor the effectiveness of depleted uranium clearance programmes in Iraq;
	(3)  if he will publish the geographical and quantitative data on the UK's use of depleted uranium munitions in the 1991 Gulf War and 2003 Iraq War held by his Department; if he will make representations to his NATO counterparts to release equivalent information held in their countries; and if he will make a statement.

Liam Fox: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has previously published information about the extremely limited use of depleted uranium (DU) munitions by UK forces during the 1991 Gulf War: less than one metric tonne of DU was expended in these munitions.
	Approximately 1.9 metric tonnes of DU ammunition was expended in the 2003 Iraq War by UK forces. The MOD provided the coordinates of targets attacked using DU ammunition in 2003 to the United Nations (UN) Environmental Programme. The MOD also shared with the UN and the Government of Iraq the results of a scientific assessment carried out in June 2003 that indicated very low levels of DU even in the vicinity of vehicles struck by DU munitions.
	Responsibility for clean-up after an armed conflict falls to the country's civilian administration with assistance from the international community. The World Health Organisation and the International Atomic Energy Agency state that the risks of DU can be controlled with simple countermeasures conducted by national authorities.
	In Iraq, UK forces carried out ordnance disposal activities and removed surface-lying DU fragments as they were discovered. They also exchanged information with humanitarian and other organizations, and warned Iraqis through signs and leaflets that they should not go near or touch any debris they find on the former battlefield. The UK has also provided UN and Iraqi scientists with the results of our DU contamination monitoring in Iraq and offered to provide advice on carrying out risk assessments and on long-term monitoring of DU in the environment, including water.
	The MOD has made it clear that we take seriously concerns about the effects of the use of DU munitions. However, the scientific literature and UN report of 24 July 2008 indicate that DU has not been shown to have, and indeed is very unlikely to have, any significant impact on the local population or on veterans.
	Other nations' choices to share or not to share information are a matter for them alone.

Electronic Warfare

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will include in his Strategic Defence and Security review a review of the UK's cyber security defensive and offensive capability.

Nick Herbert: I have been asked to reply.
	Cyber security is a key work strand in the ongoing Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR). In subjecting cyber security to the review process the full range of cyber capabilities have been considered, including (but not limited to) defensive and offensive capability. This has involved detailed liaison and discussion across Government, including with the security agencies. The Government expect to publish the outcomes of the SDSR in the autumn, in co-ordination with the comprehensive spending review (CSR).

Strategic Defence and Security Review

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the future provision of his Department's firing ranges in the Uists will be considered as part of the strategic defence and security review.

Liam Fox: The Strategic Defence and Security Review is looking at a wide range of options to ensure that the Defence budget is spent as efficiently, effectively and economically as possible. This includes the Department's approach to test and evaluation, and military training, including that provided at the Hebrides range.

Trident

Dai Havard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what the terms of reference are for the Trident value for money review; what the timetable is for that review; which Departments will contribute to that review; which independent organisations will be consulted under that review; by what mechanisms that consultation will be undertaken; and whether that review will include consideration of the option of extending the life of the current Vanguard submarines beyond an additional five years;
	(2)  what account the  (a) Strategic Defence and Security Review and  (b) Comprehensive Spending Review will take of the Trident value for money review.

Liam Fox: holding answer 19 July 2010
	Both the value for money review of the Trident programme and the re-examination of the UK's declaratory nuclear policy will be conducted within the framework of the Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR). The current policy of maintaining the UK's essential minimum deterrent remains unchanged. The Trident Value For Money Review is looking at whether this policy can be met while reducing the cost of the successor submarine and ballistic missile systems, including by shifting the balance between financial savings and operational risk.
	The value for money review work will cover: the programme timetable; submarine numbers; numbers of missiles, missile tubes and warheads; infrastructure and other support costs; and the industrial supply chain.
	The Ministry of Defence's work on the value for money review should be completed at the end of this month. The findings will go to the Cabinet Office, and will then be considered by the National Security Council. The Council's conclusions will inform the SDSR and the comprehensive spending review, which will be published in the autumn.
	There are no plans for independent organisations to be consulted.
	The review will consider the optimum programme timeline. Part of that work will include consideration of the costs and risks of further extending the Vanguard class beyond the planned five year life extension.

Trident

Dai Havard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will request the National Audit Office to evaluate the  (a) assumptions on which the Trident value for money review will be based and  (b) mechanisms by which that review will be carried out.

Liam Fox: holding answer 19 July 2010
	The National Audit Office is already reviewing the Department's financial planning process, which includes the assumptions for the successor deterrent programme. There is no intention to commission a further NAO review of the successor programme at this stage.

Trident

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will lay before Parliament before the summer recess the report of the value-for-money study being undertaken into the Trident nuclear weapons systems replacement options.

Liam Fox: holding answer 20 July 2010
	No. The Ministry of Defence's work on the value-for-money study should be completed at the end of this month. The findings will then go to the Cabinet Office for consideration by the National Security Council. The Council's conclusions will inform the Strategic Defence and Security Review and the Comprehensive Spending Review, which will be published in the autumn.

Trident

Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what research and design work will need to be authorised in the assessment phase that will follow an initial gate decision to replace the Vanguard nuclear weapons capable submarines; which long lead items would be purchased during the assessment phase; what the estimated monetary value will be of contracts placed to deliver assessment phase work; in which financial year each such contract will be placed; over what financial years contract payments would be spread; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Luff: Decisions on the research and design work required during the assessment phase of the programme to replace the Vanguard submarine, as well as the associated commercial and procurement strategies, will be made as part of and following the Initial Gate approvals process, taking full account of the ongoing value-for-money review. The Initial Gate approvals process is currently planned to be completed towards the end of 2010.

Type 45 Destroyers

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he has visited the Royal Navy's new Type 45 destroyers since his appointment.

Liam Fox: I am planning a visit to a Type 45 destroyer early in the autumn.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Community Development: Finance

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his plans are for the use of Government funds earmarked for New Deal for Communities programmes in  (a) England,  (b) the West Midlands and  (c) Kings Norton, Birmingham which are (i) unallocated and (ii) not yet spent.

Andrew Stunell: The final year's funding of £78 million has been approved for the remaining 23 Round 2 NDCs across England including the West Midlands and Funding Agreement letters have been issued. The Funding Agreement for all NDCs state, as conditions, that they must secure best value for money in the purchase of goods and services made for the purposes of the programme and unspent grant must be returned to the department at the end of the financial year.
	CLG funding for Round 1 NDCs (including Kings Norton) ended in March 2010.

Fire Services

Gordon Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many contracts were awarded to suppliers in respect of the FiReControl project; and what the monetary value of each such contract was.

Bob Neill: The following major contracts have been awarded to suppliers in respect of the FiReControl protect:
	A contract awarded to EADS to develop the IT solution worth around £200 million;
	A seven year contract valued at around £25 million awarded to VT Flagship to provide facilities management services;
	Lease agreements entered into for the nine Control Centres are as follows:
	
		
			  Control centre location  Total rent payable for duration of the lease (£)  Length of lease (years) 
			 North East 28,000,000 20 
			 East Midlands 39,000,000 25 
			 South West 29,000,000 20 
			 West Midlands 44,000,000 25 
			 South East 46,000,000 25 
			 North West 38,000,000 25 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 27,000,000 20 
			 East of England 43,000,000 25 
			 London 78,000,000 25 
		
	
	Leases for the north-east, east midlands and north-west control centres have been transferred to their local authority controlled companies (LACC). The other leases are currently held by the Department until the other LACCs are in a position to take these over.
	In addition a list of commercial suppliers who have been paid under contracts worth more than £500 between project start up in April 2004 and June 2010, has been placed in the Library of the House
	The FiReControl project is over-budget and behind schedule. The new Government are committed to ensuring value for money for the taxpayer improving resilience and stopping the forced regionalisation of the fire service.

Government Office for the North West

Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of the budget for the Government Office of the North West for 2010-11 will be used to promote enterprise in  (a) Lancaster and  (b) the North West.

Bob Neill: The Government office of the north-west does not hold a budget for the promotion of enterprise.

Homelessness

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what proportion of all homeless applicants to local authority housing departments had as the recorded principal ground of application the end of an assured shorthold tenancy in each of the last 10 years;
	(2)  what proportion of all homeless applicants to local authority housing departments in  (a) each region of England,  (b) Scotland,  (c) Wales and  (d) Northern Ireland gave the end of an assured short hold tenancy as the principal grounds for the application in each of the last 10 years.

Grant Shapps: Summary information about English local housing authorities' actions under the homelessness legislation (Part 7 of the Housing Act 1996) is collected at local authority level, and published by the Department in the quarterly Statistical Release on Statutory Homelessness, available both in the Library and via the CLG website:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/housing/housingresearch/housingstatistics/housingstatisticsby/homelessnessstatistics/publicationshomelessness/
	Figures broken down by reason for application are only available relating to homeless applicants accepted as being statutorily homeless, that is eligible, unintentionally homeless and in priority need, rather than all homeless applicants, and these have been provided in the following table.
	The Department does not hold statistics for the devolved Administrations.
	
		
			  Percentage of homeless households in priority need accepted by local authorities with termination of assured short hold tenancy as reason for loss of last settled home 
			   2000 - 01  2001 - 02  2002 - 03  2003 - 04  2004 - 05  2005 - 06  2006 - 07  2007 - 08  2008 - 09  2009 - 10 
			 England 15 15 14 13 13 13 14 15 13 11 
			 North east 11 11 11 12 16 14 14 13 10 12 
			 North west 8 9 10 11 13 12 12 13 9 9 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 10 12 9 10 12 11 12 12 9 9 
			 East Midlands 15 16 15 13 14 15 17 18 16 15 
			 West Midlands 11 10 12 12 13 13 14 15 12 11 
			 East of England 21 21 20 16 16 15 16 18 15 13 
			 London 12 13 11 10 9 10 12 15 13 10 
			 South East 23 21 18 16 16 16 16 19 15 14 
			 South West 25 24 22 20 21 20 21 23 17 17 
			  Source:  Quarterly PIE returns, 2000-01 to 2009-10

Mayors

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government in which 12 English cities it is intended to introduce elected mayors; and what the  (a) geographical area of and  (b) population will be within each mayoralty.

Bob Neill: The Structural Reform Plan, published by my Department on 8 July, states that we will legislate through the Localism Bill for directly elected mayors to enable the largest 12 cities in England to have mayors from 2012, subject to confirmatory referendums and full scrutiny by elected councillors.

National Parks: Planning

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the adequacy of arrangements to encourage economic development in national parks through the planning process; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Neill: National policy set out in Planning Policy Statement 4: "Planning for Sustainable Economic Growth" supports economic development in rural areas, including locations remote from local service centres where small scale and the most sustainable option.
	We will create a presumption in favour of sustainable development in the planning system and will provide incentives to help people to decide locally on what development is appropriate in their areas. In national parks, the conservation of the natural beauty of the landscape and countryside, wildlife and cultural heritage should carry great weight in planning decisions so that we protect the environment for future generations.

Parliament Square: Protest

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of cleaning the camp site on Parliament Square; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Neill: Costs for the decontamination, cleaning, graffiti removal, replanting and reseeding are expected to be in the region of £50,000.
	 Source:
	GLA

Parliament Square: Protest

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government who has responsibility for the restoration of Parliament Square following the eviction of protestors camped in the square; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Neill: Under the Greater London Authority Act, the GLA is responsible for the control and management of Parliament Square Gardens and therefore all costs and actions in relation to the reinstatement of Parliament Square, following the eviction of the protestors, is the responsibility of the GLA.
	 Source:
	GLA

Small Resort Benchmarking Study

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when Professor Steven Fothergill's report The Small Resort Benchmarking Study in England and Wales is to be published.

Bob Neill: Ministers are currently considering a publication timetable for all research reports funded by the Department that have been delayed due to purdah. It is expected that these reports will be published over the summer.

Working Neighbourhoods Fund

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 4 February 2010,  Official Report, column 531W, on the Working Neighbourhood Fund: Birmingham, what recent discussions he has had with  (a) the Birmingham Local Strategic Partnership and  (b) Birmingham City Council and other constituent organisations of the partnership on the (i) use and (ii) future of Working Neighbourhood Fund programmes in Birmingham.

Bob Neill: The Working Neighbourhoods Fund is paid as part of area based grant. This gives councils the flexibility to take decisions locally on how best to meet their priorities.
	My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has had no recent discussions with either the Birmingham Local Strategic Partnership or Birmingham City Council on the use and future of the WNF programme in Birmingham
	Ministers would be happy to meet representatives of Birmingham City Council to discuss these issues.

INDEPENDENT PARLIAMENTARY STANDARDS AUTHORITY COMMITTEE

Members: Data Protection

Helen Jones: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, what assessment has been made of the extent of liability of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) for any financial implications for hon. Members in the event of the alleged unauthorised disclosure of personal details by the Authority.

Charles Walker: It has not been possible for IPSA to provide a response to this question by the named day. IPSA will respond as soon as possible.
	 Substantive answer from Charles Walker to Helen Jones:
	Under section 13(1) of the Data Protection Act 1998, an individual MP who can show that he or she has suffered damage by reason of any contravention by IPSA of any of the requirements of the Data Protection Act is entitled to claim compensation from IPSA for that damage.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Biodiversity: Environmental Stewardship Scheme

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the effects on levels of biodiversity of higher level stewardship schemes; and how such effects are measured.

Richard Benyon: The monitoring and evaluation of the biodiversity benefits of Higher Level Stewardship (HLS) agreements are part of a continuous process carried out (at the agreement and option level) under Natural England's Environmental Stewardship monitoring programme. Further information regarding the biodiversity performance of HLS can be found within Natural England's report 'Agri-environment schemes in England 2009, A review of results and effectiveness'. The full report can be found at:
	www.naturalengland.org.uk/ourwork/farming/funding/aesiereport_aspx
	Each HLS agreement also has an individually tailored set of "indicators of success"-against which progress towards the delivery of biodiversity and other benefits can be measured.

Commonwealth

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to which Commonwealth organisations her Department provides grant funding; and how much it has provided to each in each of the last 10 years.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA provided grant funding to one Commonwealth organisation between the time the Department was created in June 2001 and 31 March 2010:
	
		
			  Organisation  2009-10 (£000) 
			 Commonwealth Foundation 87.9 
		
	
	This funding was provided for building civil society capacity for conservation in the Caribbean UK Overseas Territories, under the Darwin Initiative, more information about which can be found at:
	http://darwin.defra.gov.uk/

Dangerous Dogs

Angie Bray: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many dogs were destroyed in  (a) England,  (b) London and  (c) the London Borough of Ealing following seizure under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 in the last three years.

James Paice: holding answer 21 July 2010
	Figures detailing the number of dogs destroyed following seizure under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 in England in the last three years cannot be provided because these figures are not held centrally.
	Figures detailing the number of such dogs destroyed in London, and in the London Borough of Ealing in the last three years will be placed in the House Library shortly.

Dangerous Dogs

Angie Bray: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many dogs are being kennelled in  (a) England,  (b) London and  (c) the London borough of Ealing while their status under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 is being determined.

James Paice: holding answer 21 July 2010
	Figures detailing the number of dogs currently being kennelled in England while their status under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 is being decided cannot be provided because these figures are not held centrally.
	Figures detailing the number of such dogs currently being kennelled in London, and in the London borough of Ealing, will be placed in the House Library shortly.

Departmental Legal Costs

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much  (a) her Department and its predecessors and  (b) its agencies and non-departmental public bodies spent on legal advice in each year since 1997.

Richard Benyon: In response to the amount spent on legal advice since 1997, the Department was not formed until 2001 and data between then and April 2002 could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	The amount spent on legal advice each year since April 2006 for core DEFRA is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Financial year  Value (£ million) 
			 2006-07 3.8 
			 2007-08 3.24 
			 2008-09 3.27 
			 2009-10 3.23 
		
	
	It should be noted that these figures do not include advice from Treasury solicitors, parliamentary counsel and Agency lawyers.
	In respect of the earlier years, 2002-06 an answer was tabled in a previously response to David Davis MP in January 2007 and the figures given are tabled as follows:
	
		
			  Financial year  Value (£) 
			 2002-03 12,167,098 
			 2002-04 7,692,318 
			 2004-05 13,074,870 
			 2005-06 5,801,097 
			 2006-07 to date 1,874,672 
		
	
	Information on legal advice obtained by its Agencies and NDPB's is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental NDPBs

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the  (a) date of establishment,  (b) number of staff employed and  (c) annual budget is of each of her Department's agencies and non-departmental public bodies.

Richard Benyon: The information requested is set out in the tables. The following should be considered alongside this:
	 (a) the date of establishment reflects the year each body was established.
	 (b) the number of staff employed reflects full-time equivalents and the latest information available. Where the number of staff employed is shown as zero, this reflects the fact that many smaller NDPBs utilise a minimal secretariat function provided by staff employed within the core Department.
	 (c) the annual budget is the sum of the current admin, programme and capital allocations for each body for 2010-11 (£ million).
	
		
			  Executive agencies 
			   (a) Date of establishment  (b) Number of staff employed  (c) 2010-11 annual budget (£ million) 
			 Animal Health 2007 1,565 131.5 
			 CEFAS(1) 1997 491 5.9 
			 Fera(1) 2009 835 2.5 
			 RPA 2001 3,700 192.1 
			 VLA(1) 1995 1210 6.8 
			 VMD(1) 1990 152.5 0.3 
			 (1) CEFAS, Fera, the VLA and the VMD are net control agencies, i.e. they net off receipts against gross running costs. The budget figures shown thus represent capital funding only. 
		
	
	
		
			  Executive NDPBs 
			   (a) Date of establishment  (b) Number of staff employed  (c) 2010-11 annual budget (£ million) 
			 Agricultural and Horticultural Development Board(2) 2008 0 0.0 
			 Agricultural Wages Board for England and Wales 1948 0 0.0 
			 Agricultural Wages Committees (x15) 1948 0 0.0 
			 Commission for Rural Communities 2006 74 5.8 
			 Consumer Council for Water 2005 88 5.2 
			 Environment Agency 1996 13,181 1245.8 
			 Gangmasters Licensing Authority (Licensing) 2005 93 1.5 
			 Gangmasters Licensing Authority (Enforcement) 2005 0 2.7 
			 Joint Nature Conservation Committee(3) 1990 134 1.8 
			 Marine Management Organisation 2010 258 32.4 
			 National Forest Company 1995 18 3.4 
			 Natural England(4) 2006 2,413 205.0 
			 Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew 1983 800 27.1 
			 Sea Fish Industry Authority(2) 1981 95 0.0 
			 Sustainable Development Commission 2009 45 2.5 
			 (2) Levy-funded body: income from the levy covers expenditure on running costs. (3) DEFRA alone funds the costs of JNCC's work on reserved matters such as marine work beyond territorial waters, overseas territories and international conventions. This element of the budget is set out in the table above. The remaining costs are shared by DEFRA (49.25%) funded through Natural England; Scottish Executive (29%) funded through Scottish Natural Heritage; Welsh Assembly Government (14.5%) funded through the Countryside Council for Wales; and DOE Northern Ireland (7.25%). Further funding in 2010-11 will come from the Defray Marine Programme for the establishment and monitoring of marine protected areas/marine conservation zones and broader marine biodiversity monitoring needs. (4) Excludes Rural Development Programme for England funding; the contribution which NE makes to JNCC; and its income from activities and certain other sources (e.g. rents). 
		
	
	
		
			  Advisory NDPBs 
			   (a) Date of establishment  (b) Number of staff employed  (c) 2010-11 annual budget (£ million) 
			 Advisory Committee on Hazardous Substances 1991 0 0.0 
			 Advisory Committee on Organic Standards 2003 0 0.0 
			 Advisory Committee on Packaging 1996 0 0.0 
			 Advisory Committee on Pesticides 1985 0 0.0 
			 Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment 1990 0 0.0 
			 Agricultural Dwelling House Advisory Committees (x 16) 1976 0 0.0 
			 Air Quality Expert Group 2002 0.5 0.1 
			 Bovine TB Eradication Group for England 2009 0 0.0 
			 Darwin Advisory Committee 1993 0 0.0 
			 Farm Animal Welfare Council 1979 0 0.0 
			 Independent Agricultural Appeals Panel 2002 0 0.0 
			 Inland Waterways Advisory Council 2007 2 0.2 
			 National Standing Committee on Farm Animal Genetic Resources 2008 0 0.0 
			 Pesticides Residue Committee 2000 0 0.0 
			 Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution 1970 10 1.0 
			 Science Advisory Council 2004 2.8 0.3 
			 Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee 1990 0 0.1 
			 Sustainable Access to Inshore Fisheries Advisory Group 2009 0 0.0 
			 Veterinary Products Committee 1970 0 0.0 
			 Veterinary Residues Committee 2001 0 0.0 
			 Zoos Forum 1999 0 0.0 
		
	
	
		
			  Tribunal NDPB 
			   (a) Date of establishment  (b) Number of staff employed  (c) 2010-11 annual budget (£ million) 
			 Agricultural Land Tribunals 1947 0 0.0

Departmental Public Expenditure

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  how many of her Department's contracts with its suppliers are under review as a result of the recently announced reductions in public expenditure; and what the monetary value is of all such contracts which are under review;
	(2)  how many officials in her Department are working on renegotiating contracts for the supply of goods and services to the Department as a result of recently announced reductions in public spending; what savings are expected to accrue to her Department from such renegotiations; how much expenditure her Department will incur on such renegotiations; and when such renegotiations will be completed.

Richard Benyon: Work on assessing our current contracts and identifying the scope for renegotiation is currently under way following the announcements in the Budget. It is too early to say what will be the outcome in terms of numbers of contracts affected, likely savings or number of staff involved in the activity.

Leeds-Liverpool Canal

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations she has received on the proposed partial closure of the Leeds-Liverpool canal due to a lack of rainfall.

Richard Benyon: No representations have been received regarding the closure of the Leeds-Liverpool canal because of the lack of rainfall. This is an operational matter for British Waterways (BW).
	BW advised me of planned closures of parts of the Leeds and Liverpool canal. It also advised that the reason was severe drought and they are doing all they can to conserve water levels, and will reopen the canal as soon as sufficient water supplies become available. In the meantime they are contacting all affected customers, and will do all that they can to minimise the impact on them.

National Parks: Public Consultation

Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether her Department plans to undertake a public consultation as part of its review of the governance arrangements of national parks; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Benyon: As set out in the Government's coalition document, we will be reviewing the governance arrangements of national parks. I have now written to the chair of the English National Park Authorities Association on this issue. No timetable has yet been set, but we will keep the DEFRA website updated on progress.

Peat

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  if she will bring forward proposals for the compulsory labelling of horticultural composts to indicate the percentage of peat they contain;
	(2)  what steps she is taking to phase out the use of peat in garden compost; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Benyon: We are currently considering our approach to a new policy to reduce the horticultural use of peat in growing media and, as part of this, are considering the labelling of growing media products. The most recent data for peat sales throughout 2009 will be published shortly, and this will feed into the development of future policy.
	We believe that retail growing media products should be clearly labelled so that the consumer is aware of whether or not they contain peat, and can, therefore, make an informed purchase choice. Some manufacturers have already introduced new labelling schemes for their bagged growing media this season, and it is encouraging that there are plans to develop these further for 2011.

Peat

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the contribution of peat soils  (a) in storing carbon dioxide,  (b) as habitats for wildlife and  (c) as archaeological sites; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Benyon: Peat soils provide a wide range of 'ecosystem services' or functions for society, including carbon storage. UK peat soils are estimated to store around 5.5 billion tonnes of carbon, equivalent to 31 times the UK's total annual greenhouse gas emissions if it were all lost to the atmosphere.
	Peat soils also support valuable wildlife and biodiversity and a range of peatland habitats in both upland areas (for example, blanket bogs and moorland) and lowlands (for example, raised bogs and fens). The importance of peatland habitats is recognised by the designation of 68% of English upland blanket bogs as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs), and 85% of lowland raised bogs.
	Formed over hundreds and thousands of years in cold and wet conditions, peat soils are of special interest for archaeology. The preservation of organic materials (e.g. wood, skin, leather, hair, textiles and plant remains) in peat has led to a better and more detailed understanding of the past, including valuable information about past environmental and climatic change. English Heritage surveys of the main wetlands in England show that there are 4,200 archaeological sites in lowland peatlands alone.

Peat

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  if she will estimate the effect on the level of carbon dioxide emissions of restoring peat extraction sites to sphagnum-forming bogs;
	(2)  what assessment she has given of the likely effect on the level of carbon dioxide emissions of the restoration of peat bogs; and if she will make a statement;
	(3)  what assessment she has made of the contribution of lowland raised bogs in  (a) reducing the level of carbon dioxide emissions and  (b) contributing to Government targets contained in the Biodiversity Action Plan.

Richard Benyon: Degraded peatlands emit carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere as their store of carbon is oxidised. The primary objective of most restoration activities is to protect the underlying peat (for example, by re-wetting or re-vegetating) and to halt the emissions associated with degradation.
	Restoration to an active peat-forming bog is more challenging and can take many decades, if not centuries. As such, accumulation of new carbon in restored and active peat bogs (in other words, the removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere) is a slow process, and peat is, therefore, viewed as an essentially non-renewable resource. However, active bogs do accumulate carbon (by removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere) at a rate of 0.2 to 0.7 tonnes per hectare per year, under UK conditions.
	A DEFRA study in 2009 concluded that the restoration of degraded peatlands is generally beneficial from an overall global warming point of view as it protects the carbon store from further degradation. However, it is recognised that active peat bogs are also, naturally, a source of methane emissions, and any post-restoration savings in emissions of carbon dioxide need to be carefully balanced against the potential for increased emissions of methane. DEFRA has recently commissioned further research to develop best practices for restoration, focusing on techniques to minimise methane emissions.
	The domestic extraction of peat for horticultural use in the UK, predominantly from lowland raised bogs, is estimated to result in emissions of at least 400,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year (not including the emissions associated with peat imports). If extraction from these sites halted and they were restored to sphagnum-forming bogs, these emissions would be halted-although, as above, restoration to an active bog can take many decades, or even centuries.
	Lowland raised bogs are an important store of carbon, with underlying deposits of up to 10 metres deep, and raised bogs in England alone are estimated to store over 57 million tonnes of carbon. This is equivalent to a third of the UK's total annual greenhouse gas emissions, if it were all lost to the atmosphere.
	The Biodiversity Action Plan contained four specific targets for lowland raised bogs. Progress against each was assessed in 2008 by the UK Biodiversity Partnership and this assessment can be found on the Joint Nature Conservation Committee's website at:
	www.jncc.gov.uk

Pesticides: Regulation

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she is taking to ensure compliance with regulations on the use of pesticides.

James Paice: Compliance with regulations on the use of pesticides is ensured via an established combination of surveillance (including food, wildlife and environment monitoring programmes) and reactive investigation undertaken by various enforcement bodies including the Health and Safety Executive, the Rural Payments Agency, local authorities and the Environment Agency.
	Regional agencies acting on behalf of the devolved administrations ensure compliance in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Pesticides: Regulation

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she is taking to enforce regulations on spray drift of pesticides.

James Paice: The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has responsibility for enforcement in this specific area. Over-spraying or spray-drift incidents reported to HSE are assessed and where necessary subject to investigation and appropriate regulatory action including prosecution.

Pets: Animal Welfare

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment she has made of progress of her Department's research project on electric pet training devices; and  (a) how,  (b) where and  (c) through whom the dogs used in the study have been sourced.

James Paice: We have been monitoring progress of the research project on electronic training devices closely. This includes meeting with all of the contractors involved with the project and regular contact via email and telephone. The project was also assessed by animal welfare experts as part of the review of all DEFRA-funded animal welfare Research and Development held in March 2010.
	The dogs used in the research project have been sourced from a number of locations, organisations and individuals e.g. through a survey of dog owners; via experienced dog trainers; through kennels for staff pets at a university; and through a dog training class at an agricultural college.

Poultry: Animal Welfare

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her policy is on the beak-trimming of laying hens.

James Paice: holding answer 13 July 2010
	I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to the hon. Member for Blaydon (Mr Anderson) on 9 June 2010,  Official Report, column 150W.
	The Government have accepted the advice of The Farm Animal Welfare Council, an independent advisory body, that a complete ban on beak trimming of laying hens should not be introduced from 1 January 2011 (as is currently in legislation), but should be deferred until it can be demonstrated reliably under commercial conditions that laying hens can be managed without routine beak trimming.
	The Government's consultation on the proposed amendments to the Mutilations (Permitted Procedures) (England) Regulations 2007, to remove the total ban on beak trimming allowing for the routine beak trimming of day old chicks intended for laying to be carried out using the infra-red technique only, closed on the 14 April. Consultation responses are currently being considered.

SCOTLAND

Building Schools for the Future Programme

Frank Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether any consequential adjustment to payments to Scotland under the Barnett Formula arise from the changes to the Building Schools for the Future programme in England.

Michael Moore: No Barnett consequentials arose from the Secretary of State for Education's announcement in respect of the Building Schools for the Future programme.

Constituency Size: Scotland

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with the Deputy Prime Minister on the implementation in Scotland of plans to equalise the size of constituencies in Scotland.

Michael Moore: The plans to equalise the size of constituencies across the United Kingdom will apply to Scotland as they will elsewhere.
	However, the Government have proposed the two exceptions of Orkney and Shetland and Na h-Eileanan an Iar as those islands are less accessible and harder to traverse. We have concluded that exceptions for these areas are justified by their particular geography.
	The forthcoming Bill will also provide for an upper limit on the geographical size of a constituency.

Departmental Travel

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what estimate his Department has made of its expenditure on travel undertaken in an official capacity by  (a) him and  (b) each other Minister in his Department in (i) May 2010 and (ii) June 2010.

David Mundell: Scotland Office expenditure on travel undertaken in an official capacity by its Ministers is as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			   May 2010  June 2010 
			 The Secretary of State for Scotland 836 497 
			 The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland 1,069 232 
		
	
	All ministerial travel is undertaken by the most efficient and cost effective way, in accordance with the Ministerial Code, a copy of which is available in the Library of the House.

Devolution: Scotland

Mark Spencer: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent assessment he has made of the relationship between the Government and the Scottish Executive under the devolution settlement.

Michael Moore: The Government are committed to an agenda of mutual respect with all three devolved Administrations. This commitment has been demonstrated by the attendance of the Prime Minister and Chief Secretary of the Treasury at the Scottish Parliament, very early after appointment. I have appeared before the Scottish Parliament's committee of conveners and have made clear my willingness to engage with both the Scottish Government and Scottish Parliament on a regular basis.

Economic Situation: Scotland

Mark Spencer: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent discussions he has had with CBI Scotland on the condition of the Scottish economy.

Michael Moore: I have had productive discussions with CBI Scotland and others on the Scottish economy, as had my right hon. Friend the Under-Secretary, and I plan to meet them again in the near future. Our plan to cut the record budget deficit that this Government inherited is the key to a sustained economic recovery.

VAT: Scotland

Frank Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what estimate he has made of the sum to accrue to the Exchequer from Scotland attributable to the proposed increase in the standard rate of value added tax in each of the next five years.

Michael Moore: A geographical breakdown of the impact of the increase of the main rate of VAT has not been published. Detailed estimates of the annual yield of this measure are available in chapter 2 of the published HM Treasury June Budget 2010 document. Our necessary plan to cut the record budget deficit that this Government inherited, goes hand in hand with our determination to return sustained growth to the Scottish economy.

VAT: Scotland

Frank Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what models he has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated on the effect on the Scottish economy of the proposed rise in the standard rate of value added tax.

Michael Moore: The independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) models the impact arising from Government policies for the whole of the United Kingdom. The VAT rise is part our necessary plan to cut the record budget deficit that this Government inherited. Reducing this deficit is essential, and goes hand in hand with our determination to return sustained growth to the Scottish economy.

Wind Power: Capital Investment

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what assessment he has made of the effect on the Scottish economy of planned reductions in funding to the Offshore Wind Capital Grants Scheme.

Michael Moore: As part of the £85 million savings the Department for Energy and Climate Change is contributing to reduce the public deficit, funding available under the Offshore Wind Capital Grants Scheme has been reduced by £3 million. However, this reduction will not affect the £5 million of grants announced by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change on 5 July 2010, including the award of £800,000 to NGentec in Edinburgh.

Wind Power: Capital Investment

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change on reductions in funding to the Offshore Wind Capital Grants Scheme.

Michael Moore: As part of the £85 million savings the Department for Energy and Climate Change is contributing to reduce the public deficit, funding available under the Offshore Wind Capital Grants Scheme has been reduced by £3 million. However, this reduction will not affect the £5 million of grants announced by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change on 5 July 2010.

EDUCATION

Academies

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many schools in  (a) Bristol,  (b) South Gloucestershire and  (c) Bath and North East Somerset local authority areas have expressed an interest in becoming academy schools.

Nick Gibb: The information is as follows:
	 (a) For Bristol we have received one expression of interest from an outstanding school and four from schools that are not classed as outstanding.
	 (b) For South Gloucestershire we have received one expression of interest from an outstanding school and 16 expressions of interests from schools that are not classified as outstanding.
	 (c) For Bath and North East Somerset we have received six expressions of interests from outstanding schools and four from schools that are not classed as outstanding.

Building Schools for the Future Programme

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the oral statement of 5 July 2010,  Official Report, column 49, on education funding, by what date he expects the review of his Department's capital spending to be completed.

Tim Loughton: holding answer 12 July 2010
	The Review Panel has begun work and we expect them to conclude their review by the end of the calendar year.

Departmental Official Cars

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what his estimate is of the mileage travelled by each Minister in his Department in a Government car in (a) May and  (b) June 2010.

Tim Loughton: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, for Department for Transport on 13 July 2010,  Official R eport, column 624W.

Departmental Reorganisation

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will take steps to relocate officials working in his Department from central London to Bassetlaw.

Tim Loughton: The location of public sector activity and plans for the Government's estate will be considered alongside other public spending issues over the course of the spending review.

Educational Psychology: Training

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent representations he has received on the number of educational psychologists expected to complete their training in  (a) 2010,  (b) 2011 and  (c) 2012.

Sarah Teather: holding answer 19 July 2010
	The numbers of educational psychologists currently expected to complete training are as follows:
	 (a) 2010: 110
	 (b) 2011: 121
	 (c) 2012: 122.

Ministers' Private Offices

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many staff worked in his Department's ministerial support office on  (a) 1 May 2010 and  (b) 1 July 2010.

Tim Loughton: The number of full-time equivalent staff in the Department's ministerial offices as at 1 May 2010 was 36.7. As at 1 July 2010 the Department's ministerial offices had 31.7 full-time equivalent staff.

Pupils: Disadvantaged

Stephen Gilbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the significant premium for disadvantaged pupils will be per pupil; and when he plans to make it available.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 15 July 2010
	We are currently considering school funding arrangements, including the pupil premium for disadvantaged children. We will be announcing our proposals in due course.

Schools

Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many schools in England  (a) are grammar schools,  (b) are controlled, foundation, voluntary-aided or voluntary-controlled and  (c) have sixth forms; and how many grammar schools with sixth forms are controlled, foundation, voluntary-aided or voluntary-controlled.

Nick Gibb: The information is as follows:
	 (a) There are 164 grammar schools in England.
	 (b) The following table represents the number of establishments per type which have a sixth form; this does not include the grammar schools or middle deemed primary or primary schools, grammar school data have been included in table c.
	
		
			  Number 
			  Types of establishment  Have a sixth form  Does not have a sixth form  Total 
			 Community school 763 872 1,635 
			 Foundation school 466 261 727 
			 Voluntary aided school 308 199 507 
			 Voluntary controlled school 56 38 94 
			 Total 1,593 1,369 2,963 
		
	
	 (c) The following table represents the total number of grammar schools which have a sixth form broken down by type of establishment.
	
		
			  Number 
			  Types of grammar school  Have a sixth form  Total 
			 Community school 26 26 
			 Foundation school 97 97 
			 Voluntary aided school 33 33 
			 Voluntary controlled school 8 8 
			  Source:  EduBase 2.

Schools: Standards

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether it is his policy that outstanding schools will not be subject to Ofsted inspection unless standards at those schools start to deteriorate.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 19 July 2010
	It is the Government's intention that, in future, schools judged outstanding by Ofsted will not be subject to routine inspection by Ofsted, conditional on them maintaining both high performance and the confidence of parents.
	Parents will be able to trigger an emergency inspection as is currently the case.

Schools: VAT

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate he has made of the financial effect on maintained schools of the increase in the rate of value added tax in 2011.

Nick Gibb: In general terms, local authorities can recover input value added tax, so their costs will not rise when the VAT rate rises. Since maintained schools count as part of the local authority when spending local authority funds (section 49(5) of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998), they can recover VAT through their maintaining authority. There are a few exceptions to this rule, but we estimate that the increase in the rate of VAT will not cause any significant pressure on schools' budgets.

Social Services

Meg Munn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether he plans to pilot a social work manager support programme in 2011.

Tim Loughton: The Children's Workforce Development Council is already developing an offer of support for front line managers in social work. 16 children's services across the country are trialling approaches to ensuring their aspiring, new and experienced managers in their social work teams are properly equipped for the demands of the role. A further 69 children's services have expressed an interest in doing so later this year. The Department of Health is taking a similar approach in adult services and we will build on this work to develop a consistent offer for the whole profession from 2011.

Social Services

Meg Munn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has to involve children and young people in the development and delivery of his Department's social work reform programme.

Tim Loughton: The Department and the Social Work Reform Board are committed to involving service users, including children and young people, in the development and delivery of the social work reform programme.
	The Social Work Reform Board includes a representative of A National Voice, an organisation run by and for young people who are in or leaving care. We have sought advice from him and other members of the Reform Board, and several networks of organisations representing children and young people, and we intend to use a number of approaches. These will include a reference group of young people, service users and carers, providing feedback on the reform programme to the Social Work Reform Board, and involvement in working groups developing detailed proposals on achievement of the Social Work Task Force's recommendations.
	In addition, children and young people are already being involved in the development and delivery of various social work pilots. For example, the recruitment process for the 'Step Up to Social Work' pilot required candidates to complete exercises where they interacted with children and young people.

Social Services

Meg Munn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what funding his Department plans to allocate to social work reform as outlined in Building a safe and confident future: Implementing the recommendations of the Social Work Taskforce in 2010-11.

Tim Loughton: The following funding was confirmed in a written statement to the House on 10 June 2010,  Official Report, columns 17-19WS, as part of the announcement of Professor Munro's review of child protection:
	A £23 million Local Social Work Improvement Fund will be available to local authority children's services in 2010-11.
	The continuation of Children's Workforce Development Council (CWDC) programmes to support recruitment and retention of social workers.
	Funding to support the establishment of an independent College of Social Work.
	Continuation of pilots of Social Work Practices.
	We have found some efficiencies (£6 million) in the CWDC work announced by the previous Government in "Building a safe and confident future: implementing the recommendations of the Social Work Task Force", which have been achieved by reducing unnecessary bureaucracy, marketing and overlap. Similarly, rather than proceed with a grant for IT improvement (£15 million) announced in that publication, I have asked the Munro Review to consider in detail the question of how IT can best support effective social work practice.

Teachers: Rights of Accused

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether he has received recent representations on granting anonymity to teachers accused of a sexual offence by pupils; and if he will make a statement.

Tim Loughton: I have received no recent representations on granting anonymity to teachers accused of a sexual offence by pupils. In our coalition programme we made a commitment to give anonymity to teachers accused by pupils. We are currently considering how to take this forward and will make an announcement in due course.
	I know that being named in the press can cause untold harm to teachers who are subsequently acquitted or against whom no further action is taken and I am determined to increase the protection given to them.

WOMEN AND EQUALITIES

Civil Service Recruitment

Mike Freer: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what discussions she has had with ministerial colleagues on increasing recruitment to the civil service from black, Asian and other minority ethnic people.

Lynne Featherstone: Black, Asian and other minority ethnic (BAME) representation in the civil service has been increasing steadily and is broadly representative of the economically active population. The Government are committed to attracting the best talent from the widest pool of candidates. There have been targeted and successful efforts to make the civil service and fast stream more diverse. My Cabinet colleagues are looking at the range of BAME internships run by Departments and I expect to have discussions with them on this matter in due course.

Departmental Official Cars

Ian Austin: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what her estimate is of the mileage she travelled in a Government car in  (a) May and  (b) June 2010.

Lynne Featherstone: The Minister for Women and Equalities did not travel in a Government car on official GEO business in May 2010 or June 2010.

Education: Females

Nicky Morgan: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what recent research she has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated on the (i) educational achievements and (ii) achievements in working life of women; and if she will make a statement.

Lynne Featherstone: I have not commissioned any research specifically on these subjects but I will set out what we know.
	There is a gender gap in achievement at school, with girls overall gaining higher qualifications than boys. Schools with little or no gender gap tend to have a positive learning ethos, high expectations of all pupils, high quality teaching and classroom management and close tracking of individual pupils' achievement.
	We also know that more women are now completing further education than men. In 2008-09 57% of first degree graduates from courses at UK higher education institutions were female.
	Despite these achievements in education women are still, on average, earning 12.2% less than men (comparing the median hourly wages of men and women working full-time).
	We have pledged to tackle this by promoting equal pay and we will take a range of measures to end discrimination and disadvantage in the work place. The role of women as primary carers in many families contributes to the pay gap so we will be introducing measures to help people balance their work and home responsibilities. These include extending the right to request flexible working for all and promoting a system of flexible parental leave. We are also looking at how to promote gender equality on the boards of listed companies.

Ethnic Minorities

Nicky Morgan: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what her policy is on adoption of measures to assist people from ethnic minorities to obtain senior positions in the public and private sector.

Lynne Featherstone: The Government are committed to promoting equality of opportunity for all under-represented groups in both the public and private sector.
	To pave the way we have outlined some of our proposals for change in the new Coalition programme for government. So for example, we will:
	promote opportunities by providing internships for under-represented minorities in every Whitehall Department;
	fund a targeted national enterprise mentoring scheme for black and minority ethnic (BAME) people who want to start a business; and
	we will look to promote gender equality on the boards of listed companies.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Departmental Operating Costs

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Leader of the House what steps he has taken to reduce the running costs of his Office since his appointment.

David Heath: The Office of the Leader of the House of Commons is part of the Cabinet Office. I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office.

TRANSPORT

Rail Network

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to improve the long-term financial viability of the rail network.

Philip Hammond: Sir Roy McNulty's review of value for money on the railway has produced a scoping study, which identifies that the UK's railway is prima facie up to 40% more expensive than elsewhere in Europe. We must adjust to a world in which our aspirations for a successful railway have to be met from within a much tighter public spending envelope. Therefore, I have asked Sir Roy to accelerate his work, looking at the drivers of cost across the industry and to produce recommendations to create a sustainable railway with growing passenger usage and declining subsidy.

Todmorden Curve

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent progress he has made on the Todmorden Curve rail project.

Theresa Villiers: The Todmorden Curve rail project is being promoted by Burnley borough council and Lancashire county council. These local authorities are working with Network Rail to develop a business case for funding from local sources.

Rail Electrification

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions he has had with representatives of local transport authorities on the electrification of the Wrexham to Bidston rail line; and if he will make a statement.

Theresa Villiers: The Welsh Assembly Government are responsible for Arriva Trains Wales' services between Wrexham and Bidston. We continue to keep in touch with the Welsh Assembly Government and Merseytravel about options for the line. I discussed electrification of the Wrexham-Bidston line when I met the Director General of Merseytravel on 23 June.

Rail Franchising

Jane Ellison: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress has been made on the Government's review of rail franchising; and if he will make a statement.

Theresa Villiers: The Government today launched their consultation on the future of rail franchising policy.
	Our proposed reforms will lead to longer, more flexible franchises to incentivise private sector investment in the railways to benefit passengers and improve value for money.

Automatic Number Plate Recognition: Expenditure

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much his Department and its agencies have spent on the installation of automatic number plate recognition cameras to date.

Michael Penning: The total cost of establishing the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency's (DVLA) automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) capability from 2002-03 to date is £7.7 million. This includes all capital and running costs (including the cost of the vehicles). The total cost of establishing the Highway's Agency's ANPR capability from September 2001 to date is £12.5 million. The Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) capital expenditure on ANPR and Weigh in Motion Sensors from 2003-04 to March 2010 was £3.4 million. This figure cannot be disaggregated without incurring disproportionate costs.

Aviation: Exhaust Emissions

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to achieve agreement at EU level on reducing aviation emissions.

Theresa Villiers: An agreement at EU level on reducing aviation emissions already exists. In 2008 the European Parliament, the Council and the European Commission agreed to include aviation in the EU Emissions Trading System from 1 January 2012. This agreement limits CO2 emissions from aviation to 97% of the average annual emissions between 2004-06 in 2012. In 2013 this cap on emissions will tighten to 95% of the average annual emissions levels between 2004-06.
	Inclusion of aviation in the EU Emissions Trading System is complemented by operational and technological measures at European level, such as the implementation of the Single European Sky project which would make air traffic management more efficient.

Crossrail Line: Expenditure

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much has been spent on Crossrail from  (a) the public purse and  (b) private sources to date; and what estimate his Department has made of the annual expenditure from each source until completion.

Theresa Villiers: In relation to public sector expenditure on Crossrail, I refer the hon. Member to the statement I made to the House on 15 July 2010,  Official Report, column 43WS.
	In relation to private funding, there are specific agreements with Canary Wharf Group (for £150 million), City of London (for £350 million), BAA (for £230 million), and Berkeley Homes Group (to construct the Woolwich Station box) as well as wider contributions being made through business rate supplements, the planned community infrastructure levy and Section 106 developer contributions.
	Construction of the Canary Wharf Crossrail station is currently under way and good progress is being made. It is envisaged, on the current rate of construction, that the £150 million Canary Wharf Group contribution to Crossrail will have been put in to the project by June 2011. The other contributions are subject to conditions being met which are set out in the specific agreements. The detailed profile of expenditure by private sector contributors is commercially confidential.

Departmental Official Cars

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much his Department has spent on the Government Car Service since the Government took office.

Michael Penning: The total spent by the Department for Transport on car services provided by the Government Car Service for the period 12 May 2010 to 12 July 2010 is £35,441.04 (excl. VAT). The costs cover all car services provided to Ministers plus on-demand taxi-style services provided to officials.
	The new Ministerial Code, published on 21 May 2010, contains changes that affect ministerial entitlement to travel by Government car. It states that:
	"the number of Ministers with allocated cars and drivers will be kept to a minimum, taking into account security and other relevant considerations. Other Ministers will be entitled to use cars from the Government Car Service Pool as needed".
	The Department for Transport and its Government Car and Despatch Agency are working with Departments to effect the transition to the new arrangements.

Departmental Official Cars

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials in his Department have been driven by the Government Car Service since the Government took office; and how much each of these persons has received in expenses for use of taxis, buses and underground trains in that period.

Michael Penning: I refer the hon. Member to the answers of 2 June 2010,  Official Report, column 6W and 8 July 2010,  Official Report, column 371W.
	In addition, the Government publishes on a quarterly basis, the expenses incurred by the most senior officials which includes use of the Government car service and other travel expenses.

East Coast Railway Line

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment has been made of the effects on  (a) levels of employment,  (b) economic growth and  (c) the environment of reductions in (i) direct train services between Lincoln and London and (ii) other rail services on the East Coast Main Line.

Theresa Villiers: holding answer 19 July 2010
	No reductions are planned in direct train services between Lincoln and London or in other services on the East Coast Main Line. The new timetable, which will start in May 2011, increases the number of trains on the route and introduces the first direct trains between Lincoln and London King's Cross for many years.
	Assessment of major changes to railway timetables is carried out in line with the Department's appraisal guidance for transport schemes, which covers a range of costs and benefits including economic and environmental impacts.

Heathrow Airport: Night Flying

Mary Macleod: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on how many occasions the legal limit on night flights has been breached at Heathrow airport in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Theresa Villiers: Aircraft departing from Heathrow at night are required to operate within noise limits prescribed by my hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport. During the May 2009 to June 2010 period, there were 67 night noise infringements. In all these cases, the operator was fined by the airport. All revenue from fines is donated to a local fund used to finance local community projects.

London-East Grinstead Railway Line

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what statistics his Department holds on  (a) punctuality and reliability and  (b) passengers in excess numbers for rail services on the East Grinstead to London route in each month since November 2009.

Theresa Villiers: holding answer 19 July 2010
	The Department for Transport does not hold disaggregated performance data for East Grinstead to London. However, the following table shows the public performance measure (PPM) for all Southern services since November 2009. The Period PPM column shows performance in the period itself, while the PPM MAA column shows the moving annual average for the previous 12 months. PPM combines figures for punctuality and reliability into a single performance measure.
	
		
			  Percentage 
			  Period  Period PPM  PPMMAA 
			 15 November to 12 December 2009 87.5 90.5 
			 13 December to 9 January 2010 77.7 89.8 
			 10 January to 6 February 2010 86.1 89.7 
			 7 February to 6 March 2010 91.4 90.5 
			 7 March to 31 March 2010 94.0 90.7 
			 1 April to 1 May 2010 94.8 90.8 
			 2 May to 29 May 2010 93.6 90.9 
			 30 May 26 June 2010 92.2 90.7 
		
	
	Information relating to passengers in excess numbers for rail services on the East Grinstead to London route is not measured on the basis sought and is not available. The information requested is currently published annually in aggregated form by the Office for Rail Regulation within its 'National Rail Trends Yearbook'. The latest published data relate to passenger journeys in 2008-09. Chapter 7 of the latest update of 'National Rail Trends' contains these data and is available on the Office of Rail Regulation website at:
	http://www.rail-reg.gov.uk/server/show/nav.2026

London-Haywards Heath Railway Line

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what statistics his Department holds on  (a) punctuality and reliability and  (b) passengers in excess numbers for rail services on the Haywards Heath to London route in each month since November 2009.

Theresa Villiers: holding answer 19 July 2010
	The Department for Transport does not hold disaggregated performance data for Haywards Heath to London. However, the following tables show the public performance measure (PPM) for all Southern and First Capital Connect services since November 2009.
	The Period PPM column shows performance in the period itself, while the PPM MAA column shows the moving annual average for the previous 12 months. PPM combines figures for punctuality and reliability into a single performance measure.
	
		
			  Southern PPM 
			  Percentage 
			  Period  Period PPM  PPM  MAA 
			 15 November to 12 December 2009 87.5 90.5 
			 13 December to 9 January 2010 77.7 89.8 
			 10 January to 6 February 2010 86.1 89.7 
			 7 February to 6 March 2010 91.4 90.5 
			 7 March to 31 March 2010 94.0 90.7 
			 1 April to 1 May 2010 94.8 90.8 
			 2 May to 29 May 2010 93.6 90.9 
			 30 May to 26 June 2010 92.2 90.7 
		
	
	
		
			  First Capital Connect PPM 
			  Percentage 
			  Period  Period PPM  PPM MAA 
			 15 November to 12 December 2009 85.8 90.7 
			 13 December to 9 January 2010 73.0 89.5 
			 10 January to 6 February 2010 85.0 88.9 
			 7 February to 6 March 2010 88.4 89.5 
			 7 March to 31 March 2010 92.6 89.4 
			 1 April to 1 May 2010 93.0 89.5 
			 2 May to 29 May 2010 93.7 89.6 
			 30 May to 26 June 2010 90.4 89.3 
		
	
	Information relating to passengers in excess numbers for rail services on the Haywards Heath to London route is not measured on the basis sought and is not available. The information requested is currently published annually in aggregated form by the Office for Rail Regulation within its 'National Rail Trends Yearbook'. The latest published data relate to passenger journeys in 2008-09. Chapter 7 of the latest update of 'National Rail Trends' contains these data and is available on the Office of Rail Regulation website at:
	http://www.rail-reg.gov.uk/server/show/nav.2026

Network Rail: Finance

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what correspondence his Department has had with Network Rail officials on how Network Rail plans to reduce its expenditure by £100 million in 2010-11; and if he will place in the Library a copy of each such item of correspondence.

Theresa Villiers: No formal correspondence exists between the Department for Transport and Network Rail on this matter. However, some e-mails exist covering the arrangements for the announcement and I am placing copies in the Libraries of the House.

Network Rail: Pay

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what meetings he has had with Network Rail since his appointment; and whether executive pay at Network Rail was included on the agenda of those meetings.

Theresa Villiers: The issue of executive pay has not been included on the agenda of any meeting my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has held with Network Rail.
	However, Officials from the Department for Transport have spoken to Network Rail's representatives to stress the points contained in my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State's letter of 28 May to Rick Haythornthwaite, chairman of Network Rail, emphasising the need for restraint on executive pay. This letter is available in the Library of the House.

Railways Stations: Bromsgrove

Sajid Javid: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will take account of the level of funding per head from central Government between 2000 to 2010 for Bromsgrove district council and Worcestershire county council when determining the level of funding for Bromsgrove's new railway station.

Theresa Villiers: The Government do not make a link in the way proposed by the hon. Member between the funding for a particular project and the level of funding to the local authorities within which the project is located.

Railways: East of England

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will bring the East Anglia and Essex Thameside franchises into public ownership in March 2011 in order to ensure continuity of service for the London 2012 Olympics.

Theresa Villiers: holding answer 19 July 2010
	The Government have no plans to bring the Greater Anglia and Essex Thameside franchises into public ownership. It is anticipated that these franchises will continue to be operated by private sector train operators under contract to Government, which will include provisions for ensuring continuity of service during the period of the Olympics.

Railways: Electrification

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate his Department has made of the cost in 2010 prices of electrifying  (a) the Great Western railway line from Swansea to London,  (b) the North Wales coastline from Holyhead to Chester,  (c) the Valley Lines Network,  (d) the Severn Tunnel Diversionary Line and  (e) lines to the West of Swansea (i) from Carmarthen to Swansea and (ii) from Carmarthen to Western terminus stations.

Theresa Villiers: In July 2009 the previous Government announced that the Great Western Main Line between London and Swansea, including the branches to Oxford and Newbury, would be electrified at a capital cost of £1 billion (in 2009 prices).
	The Department for Transport has carried out a high-level analysis of the costs of further electrification in Wales, based on the length of the tracks and typical costs per mile of other recent electrification work. But a detailed estimate of cost based on the features specific to these routes, such as the number of structures needing modification and power supply requirements has not been made.
	The Government support rail electrification as it helps to reduce carbon emissions and cut running costs. However, we are in the early stages of the new Government and Ministers are considering the full range of transport policy to ascertain what is affordable.

Railways: Electrification

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps are being taken to increase the proportion of the rail network that is electrified.

Theresa Villiers: Network Rail has commenced detailed design work for electrification of the Great Western Main Line, the Liverpool to Manchester line via Newton-le-Willows, and other routes in the north-west. Electrification of the line between Bromsgrove and Barnt Green is being delivered as part of Network Rail's settlement for Control Period 4 (2009-10 to 2013-14).
	The Government support rail electrification as it helps to reduce carbon emissions and cut running costs. However, our priority is tackling the fiscal deficit and Ministers will consider the full range of proposed transport projects in parallel with the spending review process to ascertain what is affordable.

Railways: Finance

Sajid Javid: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will give precedence to railway infrastructure projects where funding was previously agreed by central and regional authorities over those where the project was identified but funding had not been agreed.

Theresa Villiers: The Department for Transport will only be able to identify those major transport projects that can be supported and funded at the conclusion of the Government's spending review in the autumn. Decisions on the priority of individual projects will be taken at the conclusion of a review of all previously submitted projects at that time.

Railways: Franchises

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he plans to alter the rail franchise bidding process so that the track record of the bidders is taken into account.

Theresa Villiers: The franchise bidding process takes account of bidders' previous experience and performance of operating passenger transport services and performance of relevant contracts.

Railways: Recycling

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the compliance of train operating companies with the provisions on recycling set out in their franchise agreements.

Norman Baker: Recycling provisions have only been included in the more recent franchise agreements. Compliance assessment of the Train Operating Companies is part of normal franchise management and monitoring.

Railways: Standards

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what information his Department holds on  (a) the punctuality and reliability of and  (b) passengers travelling in excess numbers on rail services from London via (i) Bexleyheath and (ii) Crayford.

Theresa Villiers: The Department for Transport does not hold disaggregated performance data for the Bexleyheath or Crayford to London route. However the following table shows the public performance measure (PPM) for all Southeastern services since November 2009. The Period PPM column shows performance in the period itself, while the PPM MAA column shows the moving annual average for the previous 12 months. PPM combines figures for punctuality and reliability into a single performance measure.
	
		
			  Percentage 
			  Period  Period PPM  PPM MAA 
			 15 November-12 December 2009 86.5 91.1 
			 13 December-9 January 2010 70 89.6 
			 10 January-6 February 2010 84.1 89.1 
			 7 February-6 March 2010 86.5 89.3 
			 7 March-31 March 2010 91.8 89.4 
			 1 April-1 May 2010 93 89.3 
			 2 May-29 May 2010 91.4 89.2 
			 30 May-26 June 2010 92.2 89.2 
		
	
	Information relating to passengers in excess numbers for rail services on either the Bexleyheath or Crayford to London route is not measured on the basis sought and is not available. The information requested is currently published annually in aggregated form by the Office of Rail Regulation within its "National Rail Trends Yearbook". The latest published data relates to passenger journeys in 2008-09. Chapter 7 of the latest update of "National Rail Trends" contains this data and is available on the Office for Rail Regulation website, at:
	http://www.rail-reg.gov.uk/server/show/nav.2026

Roads: Death

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many deaths there were in work-related road traffic incidents in each year from 1997 to 2009.

Michael Penning: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 12 July 2010,  Official Report, columns 471-2W.

Sea Rescue

Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the construction and use requirements are for rescue boats to be classified by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency as approved vessels.

Michael Penning: Rescue boats that are operated by commercial entities or where the organisation is not wholly voluntary are subject to the requirements of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) Workboat Code (or the Police Boat Code if the boat is operated by a Police Authority).
	There are no specific requirements relating to the construction or use of rescue boats used by wholly voluntary organisations which are not declared as facilities for Search and Rescue.
	Declared facilities are facilities that have been designated as being available for civil maritime SAR according to a specific standard or set criteria as agreed with the MCA. The authority providing this facility is responsible for:
	declaring the standard of capability and availability for each facility;
	maintaining each facility to the standard and availability declared by the authority;
	informing the appropriate Coastguard Rescue Co-ordination Centre when there is any change in the declared standard or availability of each facility;
	informing the appropriate Coastguard Rescue Co-ordination Centre of any reason for not making available any facility which has been requested by the Coastguard.

Sea Rescue

Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the Maritime and Coastguard Agency issues guidance to operators on the construction and use requirements of their rescue boats.

Michael Penning: The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) has produced a Rescue Boat Code which is in circulation in draft form. The draft code covers design, construction, inventory and operation and is considered to represent best practice when advising potential voluntary rescue boat operators and when assessing independent lifeboats that seek declared status as search and rescue (SAR) assets when they are being operated by wholly voluntary organisations.
	Until the code is finalised, the MCA is willing to advise prospective operators on the standards it requires to include a rescue boat in the coordination of UKSAR.
	Declared facilities are facilities that have been designated as being available for civil maritime SAR according to a specific standard or set criteria as agreed with the MCA. The authority providing this facility is responsible for:
	declaring the standard of capability and availability for each facility;
	maintaining each facility to the standard and availability declared by the authority;
	informing the appropriate Coastguard Rescue Co-ordination Centre when there is any change in the declared standard or availability of each facility;
	informing the appropriate Coastguard Rescue Co-ordination Centre of any reason for not making available any facility which has been requested by the Coastguard.

Thameslink Railway Line

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Streatham of 7 July 2010, on the Thameslink railway line, if he will ensure that Network Rail's interactive timetable for Thameslink is made available in the autumn of 2010; and if he will require Network Rail to consult on through services from the Wimbledon loop.

Theresa Villiers: holding answer 20 July 2010
	 I am not aware of any plans by Network Rail to produce an interactive timetable for the Thameslink programme this autumn.
	Consultations on changes to train service patterns are undertaken by train operating companies under the terms of their franchise agreements.

TREASURY

Accelerated Development Zones

James Wharton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he plans to undertake a trial of an accelerated development zone.

Danny Alexander: June's emergency Budget announced that the Government will publish a White Paper later in the summer setting out plans for a new approach to sub-national growth. The Accelerated Development Zone pilot scheme will be considered alongside other proposals as part of this process.

Aggregates Levy

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will extend the aggregates levy tax to include peat.

Justine Greening: There are no current plans to extend the scope of the aggregates levy to include peat.

Allergies: Costs

Jo Swinson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what recent estimates he has made of the cost to the UK economy of  (a) absences from work due to allergies and  (b) lost production due to allergies;
	(2)  what recent estimates he has made as to the cost of allergies to the UK economy.

Justine Greening: holding answer 15 July 2010
	No such estimates have been made.

Coinage: Forgery

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the face value of counterfeit coins seized was in each year since 1997.

Justine Greening: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 19 July 2010,  Official Report, column 164W.
	The following counterfeit £1 coins have been returned to the Royal Mint:
	
		
			  Date  Total withdrawals 
			 2003-04 85,000 
			 2004-05 117,500 
			 2005-06 84,500 
			 2006-07 153,800 
			 2007-08 97,000 
			 2008-09 891,956 
			 2009-10 1,973,000 
			 2010-11 (to 30 June 2010) 187,000 
		
	
	The Treasury does not have figures on withdrawals prior to 2003, when the counterfeit rate was estimated to be less than 1%.

Coinage: Forgery

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his most recent estimate is of the face value of counterfeit coins in circulation.

Justine Greening: The most recent survey conducted by the Royal Mint found that its sample contained a £1 coin counterfeit rate of 2.81% or approximately £41 million.
	The Royal Mint does not currently undertake regular surveys for other denominations. It is widely believed (by the Royal Mint, the Serious Organised Crime Agency and industry partners) that there is not a significant counterfeit issue with any other denominations.

Coinage: Forgery

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his most recent estimate is of the number of counterfeit  (a) £1 and  (b) £2 coins in circulation.

Justine Greening: The most recent survey conducted by the Royal Mint found that its sample contained a £1 coin counterfeit rate of 2.81%, or approximately £41 million.
	The Royal Mint does not currently undertake regular surveys for other denominations. It is widely believed (by the Royal Mint, the Serious Organised Crime Agency and industry partners) that there is not a significant counterfeit issue with any other denominations.

Excise Duties: Alcoholic Drinks

Angela Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment has been made of the effects on levels of alcohol fraud of implementation of proposals to ban below-cost selling of alcohol.

Justine Greening: The impact on levels of alcohol fraud of a ban on below-cost selling would depend upon how any ban was introduced. The coalition agreement stated that we will ban the sale of alcohol below cost price, and we are currently developing options for doing this.

Excise Duties: Alcoholic Drinks

Angela Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what mechanisms are in place to track the movement of beer under duty suspense  (a) within the UK and  (b) to other EU member states.

Justine Greening: The movement of beer in duty suspension between EU member states is governed by EU Council Directive 2008/118/EC. This states that movements within the UK and EU must take place between approved businesses and must be accompanied by an administrative accompanying document or commercial equivalent document at all times. Once the goods have been received at their destination, the consignee must discharge the movement by returning a report of receipt to the consignor.
	This system is in place to monitor and maintain the integrity of the duty suspension system. The UK applies various techniques to ensure that those approved to deal in duty-suspended excise goods comply with their legal obligations. For example, officers of HMRC will select specific consignments for verification and test with officials in the member state of destination whether or not those goods actually arrived in that member state.
	Over the past eight years the UK has worked with counterpart revenue authorities on the development of the EU-wide Excise Movement and Control System. This provides an electronic system to replace the existing paper-based system and allows for monitoring the movement of excise goods in duty suspension within the EU. The system will be implemented in the UK and all member states by 1 January 2011.

Excise Duties: Alcoholic Drinks

Angela Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many seizures of alcohol for offences of alcohol fraud took place in each region in  (a) 2008,  (b) 2009 and  (c) 2010;
	(2)  how many seizures of alcohol for offences of alcohol fraud there were in the first quarter of 2010-11;
	(3)  how many seizures of alcohol there were for offences of alcohol fraud in  (a) 2005-06,  (b) 2006-07,  (c) 2007-08 and  (d) 2008-09;
	(4)  whether he plans to adopt the alcohol fraud strategy of the previous administration; what other steps he plans to take to reduce alcohol fraud; and if he will make a statement.

Justine Greening: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and UK Border Agency data on seizures of alcohol are captured and reported as a national figure, as set out in the following table:
	
		
			  Financial year  Number of seizures 
			 2005-06 2,933 
			 2006-07 2,189 
			 2007-08 2,136 
			 2008-09 2,095 
			 2009-10 2,858 
			 2010-11 (first quarter only) 593 
		
	
	Implementation of a comprehensive strategy to tackle alcohol fraud began on 1 April 2010, principally involving HMRC and the UK Border Force. The strategy is already yielding results, and the Government will continue to monitor its effectiveness and consider what, if any, additional steps are required to reduce alcohol fraud further.

Income Tax: Bexley

David Evennett: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the number of people in  (a) Bexleyheath and Crayford and  (b) the London Borough of Bexley who will pay no income tax as a result of the increase in personal allowance from April 2011;
	(2)  how many people resident in  (a) Bexleyheath and Crayford and  (b) the London Borough of Bexley were in employment but below the income tax threshold in each of the last three years.

David Gauke: The personal allowance for under 65s will be increased by £1,000 in April 2011, with the gains limited to basic rate taxpayers. The Government estimate that the 880,000 lowest income taxpayers will be removed from tax altogether.
	However, information at parliamentary constituency level is not available due to small survey sample sizes at this level of geography, and because estimates are based on the latest available 2007-08 survey data which would not be reliable for this purpose.
	Available published information on income tax by parliamentary constituency based on the Survey of Personal Incomes 2007-08 can be found in table 3.15 "Income and tax by Parliamentary Constituency" at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/income_distribution/menu.htm
	Estimates of numbers of employed persons earning below the income tax threshold are not available from HM Revenue and Customs data sources as these are fully representative of taxpayers only. Estimates from Office for National Statistics surveys would not be reliable due to small sample sizes associated with the specific information requested.
	Available published information on the distribution of earnings by parliamentary constituency is provided in the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings at:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/statBase/product.asp?vlnk=13101

Job Creation: Private Sector

Owen Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what methodology was used to estimate the number of private sector jobs forecast to be created in the next five years.

Danny Alexander: The information requested fails within the responsibility of the Chairman of the Office for Budget Responsibility, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Sir Alan Budd, dated 20 July 2010:
	As Chair of the Budget Responsibility Committee of the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) I have been asked to reply to your recent question:
	What methodology was used to estimate the number of private sector jobs forecast to be created in the next five years.
	The OBR does not forecast private sector employment separately. It forecasts total employment and general government employment. The difference between the two is market sector employment, which includes public sector corporations.
	The OBR pre-Budget forecast document published on 14 June which can be found at on the OBR website provides details of OBR forecast methodologies. This document can be found at the follow web address:
	http://budgetresponsibility.independent.gov.Uk/d/pre_budget_forecast_140610.pdf
	The OBR forecasts that as GDP growth picks up above its assumed trend rate, employment rises. The economy forecast models employment on a whole economy basis.
	The methodology for projecting general government employment is set out in detail in the OBR note published on 13 July 2010 at the below web link:
	http://budgetresponsibility.independent.gov.uk/d/general_gov_employment_forecast_130710.pdf

Maternity Payments

Anne McGuire: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many Sure Start maternity grants were made to mothers in Stirling constituency for a second or subsequent child in 2009-10.

Steve Webb: I have been asked to reply.
	A total of 274,000 Sure Start maternity grants were awarded in Great Britain in 2009-10. The exact number of awards for a second or subsequent maternity is not available, but is estimated to be 52% of all awards, around 143,000.
	The number of awards made in 2009-10 is available by Government office region or Jobcentre Plus Social Fund budget area only, not by constituency.
	 Note
	Both numbers have been rounded to the nearest 1,000.
	 Source for total number of awards
	Department for Work and Pensions Social Fund Policy, Budget and Management Information System

Maternity Payments: Durham

Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many Sure Start maternity grants were made in City of Durham constituency to mothers for a second or subsequent child in 2009-10.

Steve Webb: I have been asked to reply.
	A total of 274,000 Sure Start Maternity Grants were awarded in Great Britain in 2009-10. The exact number of awards for a second or subsequent maternity is not available, but is estimated to be 52% of all awards, around 143,000.
	The number of awards made in 2009-10 is available by Government Office Region or Jobcentre Plus Social Fund budget area only, not by constituency.
	 Note:
	Both numbers have been rounded to the nearest 1,000.
	 Source:
	For total number of awards: Department for Work and Pensions Social Fund Policy, Budget and Management Information System

Personal Taxation

Yvette Cooper: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  whether he has conducted any analysis of the effect of the direct personal tax and benefit measures in the June 2010 Budget on  (a) men and  (b) women; and whether he conducted any such analysis in the preparation of the Budget;
	(2)  whether his Department undertook an equality impact assessment of the effect on women of the tax and benefit measures in the June 2010 Budget.

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  whether he has made an assessment of the effects on  (a) men and  (b) women of implementation of the tax and benefit changes announced in the June 2010 Budget;
	(2)  whether he has made an assessment of the effects on  (a) men and  (b) women of the increase in the rate of value added tax.

Justine Greening: Departments are legally obliged in carrying out their functions to have regard to the need to eliminate unlawful discrimination and promote equality of opportunity. This is currently required in relation to gender, race and disability by the Sex Discrimination Act 1975, the Race Relations Act 1976 and the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. The duty will extend to all forms of prohibited discriminatory conduct when the Equality Act 2010 comes into force. Departments must in their published equality schemes state how they intend to fulfil their duties and how they propose to assess the impact of policies on equality in the relevant areas. Whether or not a full equality impact assessment will be carried out in any case depends on the likely impact of a proposed policy on members of the relevant groups of people and whether it would be proportionate to do so. Such equality impact assessments as are considered to be appropriate and proportionate will be conducted for prospective areas for savings in the Department's budget.
	Analysis of the overall Budget impact is undertaken at a household level, as benefits and tax credits are awarded based on family income. How households allocate their resources varies significantly and interactions between the tax and benefit system are complex. For this reason any gender analysis on a single set of assumptions will not be robust.

Pregnant Women: Grants

Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many Health in Pregnancy grants were made in City of Durham constituency in 2009-10.

David Gauke: This information is available only at disproportionate cost.

Private Sector: Job Creation

William Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish the  (a) evidence and  (b) analysis underpinning the Office for Budget Responsibility's projections for private sector job creation in the period 2011-2016 published on 30 June 2010.

Justine Greening: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Chairman of the Office for Budget Responsibility, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Sir Alan Budd, dated 20 July 2010:
	As Chair of the Budget Responsibility Committee of the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) I have been asked to reply to your recent question: For the (a) evidence and (b) analysis underpinning the Office for Budget Responsibility's projections for private sector job creation in the period 2011-2016 published on 30 June 2010.
	The OBR does not produce projections for private sector job creation. The document published on 30 June 2010 provided the OBR's projections for whole economy employment and general government employment. The difference between the two (which is known as 'market sector employment') does not correspond precisely to private sector employment since it includes employment in the public corporations, which the OBR does not forecast.
	The OBR pre-Budget forecast document published on 14 June provides details of OBR forecast judgements and methodologies. This document can be found on the OBR website at:
	http://budgetresponsibility.independent.gov.uk/d/pre_budget_forecast_140610.pdf
	The OBR Budget forecast document published on 22 June explains the Budget forecast, including whole economy employment, and can be found at:
	http://budgetresponsibility.independent.gov.uk/d/junebudget_annexc.pdf
	The factors which influence the forecast for total employment include the growth of the total economy, labour productivity and labour costs.
	The methodology for projecting general government employment is set out in detail in the OBR note published on 13 July 2010 at the below web link:
	http://budgetresponsibility.independent.gov.uk/d/general_gov_employment_forecast_130710.pdf

Public Expenditure

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what mechanisms are in place to ensure the accuracy of the allocation of Barnett consequentials; and if he will make a statement.

Danny Alexander: Full details of the operation of the Barnett Formula are set out in the Treasury publication Funding the Scottish Parliament, National
	Assembly for Wales and Northern Ireland Assembly: Statement of Funding Policy. The SFP can be accessed at:
	http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20100407010852/
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/pbr_csr07_funding591.pdf

Public Expenditure: Per Capita Costs

David Mowat: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average amount of Government spending per person was in  (a) Scotland and  (b) Warrington in the latest period for which figures are available.

Danny Alexander: Information is not gathered at a constituency, city or town level. The annual Country and Regional Analysis exercise identifies expenditure per head by nine regions in England. We can provide data for the North West region.
	Total identifiable expenditure per head for Scotland and the North West is as follows:
	
		
			  £ per head 
			   National Statistics  
			   2004-05 outturn  2005-06 outturn  2006-07 outturn  2007-08 outturn  2008-09 outturn  2009-10 plans 
			 North West 6,892 7,235 7,614 8,084 8,606 9,228 
			 Scotland 7,552 8,183 8,545 9,011 9,412 10,083

Public Expenditure: Wales

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what forecast his Department has made of the effect of  (a) the proposals in the 2010 Budget and  (b) proposed changes to public expenditure on levels of public sector employment in (i) Wales and (ii) the Bridgend County Borough Council area in each of the next five years.

Danny Alexander: The Office of Budget Responsibility (OBR) released further information on its employment forecast on 30 June 2010, which can be found on the following webpage:
	http://budgetresponsibility.independent.gov.uk/publications.html
	The OBR has not published forecasts on a sub-national level.

Public Sector

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will introduce project bank accounts as a standard arrangement for all public sector projects.

Danny Alexander: The Government have no plans to introduce project bank accounts as a standard arrangement for all public sector projects. It is for Departments to manage expenditure on projects within their departmental expenditure limits (DELs).

Public Sector: Audit

Philip Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what information his Department holds on which organisations in receipt of Government funding have not had their accounts approved by auditors in each of the last three years.

Danny Alexander: The Department holds information on the audited resource accounts of central Government Departments and pensions schemes laid by the Treasury before the House of Commons.
	The 2009-10 resource accounts for Departments and pension schemes are currently in the process of being laid, due to be completed by the summer parliamentary recess. Of the 19 accounts laid to date, none have received audit qualifications.
	For the financial year 2008-09, six resource accounts received audit qualifications. They included, HM Treasury (excess vote), the Home Office (excess vote), the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (disagreement on accounting treatment and a regularity qualification), the Department for Work and Pensions (regularity qualification), the Ministry of Defence (regularity qualification and a limitation in audit scope) and the BERR United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority Pension Scheme (excess vote).
	For the financial year 2007-08, six resource accounts received audit qualifications. They included, the Department for Transport (excess vote), the Department for Work and Pensions (regularity qualification), the Ministry of Defence (limitation in audit scope), the Office of Fair Trading (excess vote), the Armed Forces Pension Scheme (limitation in audit scope), and the BERR United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority Pension Scheme (excess vote).
	The Department does not hold systematic information on the accounts of other central Government, NHS, or local government bodies. Information on these bodies should be available through the respective audit agencies, the NAO for central Government, or the Audit Commission for local government, and through the devolved Governments for entities falling within their remit.

Public Sector: Audit

Philip Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what guidance his Department provides to public bodies on provision of funding to organisations with accounts that have not been approved by auditors.

Danny Alexander: Guidance on provision of grants is contained in Managing Public Money (the standard guide to use of public funds in public sector organisations) Annex 5.1. The guidance explains that the Accounting Officer of the funder is responsible for ensuring that grant recipients are both eligible and will use the grant in the intended way.

Regional Planning and Development: Finance

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether funds for the Regional Growth Fund have been drawn from the budget allocated to regional development agencies.

Danny Alexander: The funding arrangements for the Regional Growth Fund will be informed by the forthcoming spending review.

Rent a Room Scheme: Greater London

Jim Dowd: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will bring forward proposals to increase the income threshold of the Rent a Room scheme in London.

Justine Greening: Rent-a-Room relief was considered in the Treasury consultation on the private rented sector, which closed in April. The Government will be publishing responses and responding shortly.
	All taxes are kept under review, with any changes announced by the Chancellor as part of the Budget process.

Taxation: Wimbledon

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his estimate is of the number of people in Wimbledon constituency who will benefit from the increase in the threshold for basic rate income tax; and what his estimate is of the number of businesses which will benefit from the  (a) increase in small business rate relief,  (b) reduction in mainstream corporation tax rate and  (c) reduction in small profits rate of corporation tax.

David Gauke: HMRC estimate that 23 million basic rate taxpayers (19 million from England) benefit from the income tax announcements made by the Government in the June 2010 Budget.
	Information at parliamentary constituency level is not available due to small survey sample sizes at this level of geography, and because the information is based on the 2007-08 survey data which would not be reliable for this purpose.
	Available information on income tax by parliamentary constituency based on the latest available Survey of Personal Incomes (2007-08) can be found in Table 3.15 'income and tax by Parliamentary Constituency' at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/income distribution/menu.htm
	The Department for Community and Local Government estimates that approximately 530,000 businesses in England will benefit from the temporary increase in small business rate relief (SBRR). Disaggregated information by region or parliamentary constituency is not available.
	It is not possible to provide estimates of the number of businesses to benefit from the reduction in mainstream corporation tax rate and reduction in small profits rate of corporation tax at any regional level, including country.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

PIMS: Internet

David Amess: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the House of Commons Commission, what steps the Commission  (a) has taken and  (b) plans to take to ensure that web links in PIMS are kept up to date; and if he will make a statement.

Stuart Bell: Currently, when the answer to a parliamentary question contains a web link the PIMS record includes the text of that link but it is not an active hyperlink. Instead the PIMS record links to the question as it appears in  Hansard on the website, where any URLs or web links contained in the answer are enabled.
	A programme of work is under way to replace the PIMS system when it reaches the end of its life in 2012. This aims to enhance the search facilities available on the website and intranet while increasing the indexing and metadata contained in the online versions of parliamentary publications. This will remove the need for a separate information retrieval system, such as PIMS, to search for parliamentary content.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Antisocial Behaviour Orders: Kent

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many residents of North Kent Criminal Justice System area are subject to antisocial behaviour orders.

Nick Herbert: The latest available published data on the number of antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs) issued covers the period 1 April 1999 to 31 December 2007.
	The number of ASBOs issued at all courts in the Kent Criminal Justice System area on application, and the number issued following conviction is 77 and 137 respectively, a total of 214. Data on ASBOs collected centrally by the Ministry of Justice are not available below Criminal Justice System (CJS) area level.
	ASBOs can be of a fixed duration (for a minimum of two years) or made until further order. It is therefore not possible to determine from centrally collected data how many ASBOs are in force at a particular point in time except by reference to individual court files which could be achieved only at disproportionate cost.

Borders: Personal Records

Alan Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the effects on the e-borders programme of ending the second generation biometric passport programme; and if she will make a statement.

Theresa May: holding answer 22 June 2010
	The assessment of the UK Border Agency is that halting work on the next generation of biometric passports will have no impact on the operation of e-Borders as the e-Borders system uses biographic data not biometric data.

Control Orders

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many control orders were  (a) issued and  (b) breached in each of the last two years.

Nick Herbert: The Secretary of State reports to Parliament on the exercise of her powers under the Prevention of Terrorism Act 2005 on a quarterly basis, and additionally on an ad hoc basis if required. I refer the hon. Member to the reports covering the last two years, dated 21 June 2010, 16 March 2010, 15 December 2009, 16 September 2009, 15 June 2009, 12 March 2009, 15 December 2008 and 15 September 2008.
	As set out in these reports, in the period 11 June 2008 to 10 June 2009, seven new control orders were served of which three were in force for between six months and one year and four remained in force as at 10 June 2010 having been in force for between one and two years. In the period 11 June 2009 to 10 June 2010, four new control orders were served all of which remained in force as at 10 June 2010 with three of those having been in force for less than six months and three having been in force for between six months and one year.
	These statements give as much information as we can provide about how many control orders were breached, with regard to national security and the risk of prejudicing any law enforcement interests.

Crime: Statistics

Jack Straw: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 5 July 2010,  Official Report, columns 385-86W, what role  (a) the National Statistician and  (b) the UK Statistics Authority will have in the review of crime statistics.

Nick Herbert: We are determined to restore trust in crime statistics and are currently considering how they should be collected and published in future.
	My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary has recently met with Sir Michael Scholar, the Chair of the UK Statistics Authority, to discuss the recommendations in the authority's recent report on improving trust in crime statistics. In considering what improvements can be made to how crime statistics are collected and published, we will carefully consider the views of both the authority and of the National Statistician.

Departmental Buildings

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much  (a) her Department and  (b) its agencies and non-departmental public bodies spent on office refurbishment in each year since 1997.

Nick Herbert: Information on expenditure on office refurbishments since 1997 is not held centrally and to collate this information the Department would incur disproportionate cost.

Departmental Civil Servants

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many employees of her Department attended Civil Service Live in  (a) 2008,  (b) 2009 and  (c) 2010; and what estimate she has made of the (i) employee working hours taken up by and (ii) cost to her Department of such attendance in each such year.

Nick Herbert: Civil Service Live events are owned and managed by the private company Dods (the publishers of Civil Service World), who bear all of the financial risks.
	The overall delegate numbers for Civil Service Live in 2008, 2009 and 2010 were approximately 6,000, 8,000 and 7,700 respectively. Delegate registration is managed centrally by Dods. Departments do not keep a detailed record of every member of staff that attends.
	Civil servants do not pay to attend Civil Service Live events. There will have been some travel and subsistence costs for delegates, which will be paid for by individual Departments. Civil servants attending the event will have followed the travel and subsistence guidelines set by their Departments.

Departmental Contracts

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she has made an estimate of the monetary value of the contracts between her Department and private sector companies which will be cancelled under her Department's planned spending reductions.

Nick Herbert: Work is currently under way across the Home Department to manage the process of reviewing, amending and where appropriate cancelling contracts. This process is expected to take between four and six months to complete.
	The eventual final monetary value of any contracts amended through renegotiation or cancelled between the Department and private sector companies will be reported accordingly.

Departmental Internet

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much  (a) her Department and  (b) its agencies and non-departmental public bodies spent on website design in each year since 1997.

Nick Herbert: The Home Office website:
	www.homeoffice.gov.uk
	underwent its first significant design in 2001. Design costs are not separately identifiable from that period. A major redesign was undertaken in 2005 costing £110,000. This subsequently underwent a minor redesign in 2008 costing £50,000.
	The UK Border Agency website (www.ukba.home office.gov.uk-previously www.bia.home office.gov.uk and before that www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk) underwent a major redesign in 2007. The cost of the design was £28,000. The home page was redesigned in 2009 which cost £12,000. Costs prior to 2004 are not separately identifiable.
	The Identity and Passport service cannot separately identify the costs of design work for their website:
	www.ips.gov.uk
	Criminal Records Bureau website:
	www.crb.homeoffice.gov.uk
	had design costs of £65,000 in 2005-06 and £7,000 in 2009-10.
	The Serious Organised Crime Agency cannot separately identify design cost for its website:
	www.soca.gov.uk
	prior to 2009-10 when design costs were £80,000.
	The National Police Improvement Agency site:
	http://www.npia.police.uk
	uses mainly internal resource for website design. In 2009-10 £3,000 was spent on external design costs.
	The IPCC's work in support of its external website:
	www.ipcc.gov.uk/
	is carried out in-house.
	Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary redesigned its website:
	www.hmic.gov.uk
	in 2009/10 at a cost of £92,000
	The SIA website:
	www.sia.homeoffice.gov.uk
	was developed into a separate site in the 2004-05 financial year at a cost of £147,000. In 2005-06 design costs were £24,000, in 2007-08 £21,000, in 2008-09 £4,000, and in 2009-10 £101,000.
	The Investigatory Powers Tribunal:
	www.ipt-uk.com
	design costs £2,000 in 2007, They are unable to separately identify design costs for its website from other costs before this date.
	The independent Chief Inspector UK Border Agency site cannot separately identify the costs of design work for their website:
	http://icinspector.independent.gov.uk/
	The Independent Safeguarding Authority cannot separately identify the costs of design work for their website:
	www.isa-gov.org.uk
	Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP) was created from April 2006. In terms of CEOP's online educational resources delivered under the strapline "ThinkuKnow", CEOP has spent £51,000 in 2007-08, £8,000 in2008-09 and £40,000 in 2009-10 on website design for:
	www.ceop.gov.uk
	and
	www.thinkuknow.co.uk/
	The Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner site:
	http://www.oisc.gov.uk
	cost £85,000 in 2001-02, £44,000 in 2008-09 and £12,000 in 2009-10.

Departmental Internet

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much her Department spent on maintaining its Twitter feed in the last 12 months.

Nick Herbert: The Home Office spent approximately £536 maintaining its Twitter feed in the last 12 months.
	The estimated staff costs are three hours per week of an Information Officer salary, since early May 2010.

Departmental Internet

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people in her Department are engaged in maintaining her Department's social media and networking sites; and what estimate she has made of the cost of employing such people in the last 12 months.

Nick Herbert: Two members of staff are authorised to manage the Home Office official departmental Twitter and Flickr feeds, which have been in operation since May 2010. One additional member of staff is authorised to manage the YouTube feed.
	No other social media or networking sites are currently used. These are not full time jobs. Members of staff from the Home Office press office manage these systems.
	The estimated staff costs for Twitter and Flickr are seven hours per week of an information officer salary, a cost of approximately £1,250 since May 2010.
	The estimated staff costs for YouTube are approximately £938 over the last 12 months.
	Social media has been used in marketing campaigns in the last 12 months but collating this spend would incur disproportionate cost.

Departmental Internet

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much her Department spent on maintaining its Flickr channel in the last 12 months.

Nick Herbert: The Home Office spent approximately £714 maintaining its Flickr feed in the last 12 months.
	The estimated staff costs are four hours per week of an information officer salary, since early May 2010.

Departmental Legal costs

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much  (a) her Department and  (b) its agencies and non-departmental public bodies spent on legal advice in each year since 1997.

Nick Herbert: The requested detail is not available for the years before 2005-06. The Department's and Agencies expenditure on legal advice is set out in the table.
	These figures, expressed as thousands of pounds, include the direct cost to the Home Office of internal legal advice, litigation services provided by the Treasury Solicitor and legal services provided outside Government.
	
		
			   Home Office  Identity and Passport Services  Criminal Record Bureau 
			 2005-06 31,702 363 76 
			 2006-07 27,272 766 63 
			 2007-08 34,489 1,129 26 
			 2008-09 32,067 3,386 97 
			 2009-10 30,494 3,551 175

Departmental Location

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she plans to relocate  (a) civil servants and  (b) Government bodies for which her Department is responsible (i) out of London and (ii) to the West Midlands; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Herbert: The Home Office exceeded the Lyons Review target of relocating 2,200 posts/staff out of London by 2010, two years early. We continue to look for opportunities to relocate staff to reduces costs and improve services. The Serious and Organised Crime Agency are planning to relocate 180 posts to a new hub in the North of England and 60 posts to its other hubs, including the west midlands.
	As part of the spending review, the Home Office is considering future spending and the outcome will be announced in October. The Home Office, the Executive Agencies and NDPBs have no immediate plans to relocate more posts out of London or to the west midlands.

Departmental Manpower

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) full-time and  (b) part-time staff her Department employed in each year since 1997.

Nick Herbert: Table 1 provides information for the Home Office headquarters (excluding it's agencies) on the numbers of employees who are full-time and part-time since 1999.
	Table 2 provides the employment figures for 1997 and 1998 as we do not hold a breakdown of full-time and part-time staff for this period.
	The Home Office has undergone a number of machinery of government changes over the period concerned. The Home Office headquarters included the Border and Immigration Agency (now the United Kingdom Border Agency) who became a shadow agency in May 2007, the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) and Office for Criminal Justice Reform (OCJR) who moved to the newly-formed Ministry of Justice during 2007.
	The information provided is based on data collated annually by the Office of National Statistics.
	
		
			  Table 1: Breakdown of full-time and part-time staff for 1999 to 2009-Home Office (excluding agencies)( 1) 
			   Full-time  Part-time 
			 1999(2) 7,500 950 
			 2000(2) 8,760 1,180 
			 2001(2) 12,220 1,570 
			 2002(2) 13,600 1,850 
			 2003(2) 16,440 2,200 
			 2004(2) 18,220 2,530 
			 2005(2) 19,560 3,300 
			 2006(3) 21,560 3,730 
			 2007(3) 2,430 330 
			 2008(4) 2,440 320 
			 2009(4) 2,720 340 
			 (1) Number are rounded to the nearest 10. (2) Survey reference date 1 April. (3) Survey reference date 30 September. (4) Survey reference date 31 March.  Source: Mandate data collection and Annual Civil Service Employment Survey 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Headcount FTE for 1997 and 1998 
			  HCFTE Permanent  1997  1998 
			 Home Office excluding agencies 9,358 8,073 
			  Note: Data are as at 1 April each year Source: Civil Service Statistics Reports on Cabinet Office Website http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/about/resources/stats-archive/archived-reports.aspx

Departmental Public Expenditure

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she plans to analyse the distributional effect of the options for reductions in her Department's expenditure.

Nick Herbert: The Government set out in their document 'Spending Review Framework' that they will
	"look closely at the effects of its decisions on different groups in society, especially the least well off, and on different regions." (2.4, page 7)
	Further information will be available at the spending review.

Departmental Speeches

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which  (a) (i) civil servants and (ii) special advisers in her Department and  (b) other individuals are employed to write speeches for each Minister in her Department.

Nick Herbert: One civil servant is employed to write speeches for the Home Secretary. Civil servants from across the Department are also involved as part of their duties in drafting ministerial speeches. Special advisers will also input on occasion.

Departmental Travel

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) civil servants and  (b) special advisers in her Department are entitled to the use of (i) a car with a dedicated driver, (ii) a car from the Government car pool and (iii) a taxi ordered through a departmental account.

Nick Herbert: The nine members of the Home Office Board are entitled to the use of one car with a dedicated driver between them but this arrangement will cease at the end of the year. None of the Department's special advisers are entitled to the use of a car.
	As was the case under previous Governments, all civil servants and special advisers may use an official car or taxi in properly defined circumstances.

Domestic Violence: Immigration

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many women have been granted indefinite leave to remain in the UK under the domestic violence rule  (a) since the rule was introduced and  (b) in the last 12 months.

Damian Green: Latest information shows that 2,530 women were granted indefinite leave to remain in the United Kingdom under the domestic violence rule since its introduction in 2002. Of these 710 were granted in 2009, the last year for which figures are available. The figure for 2009 is provisional and subject to change.
	A range of immigration statistics for 2009 are due to be published in the Home Office bulletin "Control of Immigration Statistics United Kingdom, 2009" on 26 August 2010. Copies will be available in the Library of the House and the Home Office's Research, Development and Statistics website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration-asylum-stats.html

Extradition

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department who will lead the review of extradition arrangements between the UK and the US administration; and what the terms of reference will be of that review.

Nick Herbert: In the Coalition's programme for government published on 20 May 2010, the Government stated that they will
	"[...] review the operation of the Extradition Act 2003-and the US/UK extradition treaty-to make sure it is even handed".
	The Government are currently considering the review's terms of reference and an announcement will be made to Parliament as soon as possible.

Police

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the effects on the level of service provided by front line policing of the proposed reductions in numbers of police civilian staff.

Nick Herbert: holding answer 15 July 2010
	 Decisions about the number of police officers, police community support officers and other police staff engaged by each force are matters for the relevant chief constable and police authority.

Police

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what procurement procedures each police force in England and Wales uses.

Nick Herbert: Police authorities have overall responsibility for the procurement procedures that each police force in England and Wales uses. Along with all public sector bodies in the UK these are subject to and governed by the EU procurement directives and UK procurement regulations that implement the directives.
	The National Policing Improvement Agency, working with the Association of Chief Police Officers and the Association of Police Authorities, seeks to harmonise and standardise on best practice in police procurement to demonstrate and achieve value for money for the taxpayer. Best practice policy and templates are available for all forces to utilise on a secure shared facility.

Police Custody: Standards

Therese Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will place in the Library a copy of the guidance issued by the National Policing Improvement Agency on standards for custody suites; what assessment she has made of the cost to the public purse of compliance with this guidance; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Herbert: The Association of Chief Police Officer Guidance on the Safer Detention and Handling of Persons in Police Custody was published in April 2006. A copy of this document has been placed in the House of Commons Library.
	There has been no comprehensive assessment of the costs to police forces, associated with this guidance. Implementation of this guidance is a matter for individual chief constables.

Police: Disciplinary Proceedings

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons were  (a) dismissed and  (b) suspended on full pay from each police force in England and Wales in each of the last two years.

Nick Herbert: The available data are provided in the following table:
	
		
			  Number of persons dismissed and suspended on full pay in each of the last two years by police force( 1, 2) 
			   Dismissals  Suspensions( 3) 
			   2007-08  2008-09  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Avon and Somerset 13 7 4 10 
			 Bedfordshire 22 8 0 0 
			 Cambridgeshire 13 11 2 6 
			 Cheshire 13 7 17 25 
			 Cleveland 5 6 0 0 
			 Cumbria 5 8 0 0 
			 Derbyshire 14 8 20 20 
			 Devon and Cornwall 15 12 21 5 
			 Dorset 12 9 0 14 
			 Durham 6 13 7 5 
			 Dyfed-Powys 4 4 14 3 
			 Essex 17 9 26 9 
			 Gloucestershire 2 1 4 1 
			 Greater Manchester 28 24 80 104 
			 Gwent 14 3 0 0 
			 Hampshire 11 14 34 32 
			 Hertfordshire 6 9 18 3 
			 Humberside 6 6 0 2 
			 Kent 15 15 24 26 
			 Lancashire 14 18 15 21 
			 Leicestershire 14 10 14 19 
			 Lincolnshire 2 2 32 16 
			 London, City of 3 0 8 14 
			 Merseyside 22 21 37 30 
			 Metropolitan Police 93 104 227 153 
			 Norfolk 30 61 12 14 
			 Northamptonshire 8 15 20 28 
			 Northumbria 17 10 54 43 
			 North Wales 3 5 6 2 
			 North Yorkshire 10 17 0 0 
			 Nottinghamshire 20 9 39 22 
			 South Wales 14 10 54 30 
			 South Yorkshire 8 6 32 23 
			 Staffordshire 25 31 7 8 
			 Suffolk 6 8 15 8 
			 Surrey 30 42 0 4 
			 Sussex 17 7 21 17 
			 Thames Valley 35 35 2 14 
			 Warwickshire 2 2 7 5 
			 West Mercia 5 5 16 17 
			 West Midlands 35 14 23 11 
			 West Yorkshire 29 28 45 15 
			 Wiltshire 7 6 7 1 
			 Total 665 636 962 779 
			 (1) This table contains full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number. (2) Figures shown are for officers, staff, police community support officers, designated officers and traffic wardens. (3) Figures on suspensions are those officers and staff recorded as being suspended on long-term absence at the end of the financial year. It is not possible to say whether or not they are on full pay.

Police: Durham

Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions she has held with Durham police authority on changes to the number of police officers in Durham constabulary consequent on the reduction in police grant for 2010-11.

Nick Herbert: I have had no discussions with Durham police authority or Durham constabulary since the announcement of the police grant reductions.
	The reductions should not impact on the frontline. Decisions about the number of police officers, police community support officers and other police staff engaged by the police remain a matter for each chief constable, but we have made it clear that the frontline should remain strong and secure and we expect police authorities to look at how they spend their money and ensure that they are delivering a cost-effective service to achieve this.

Police: Durham

Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the damping element of police grant will be paid to Durham constabulary for 2010-11.

Nick Herbert: Yes. Durham constabulary will receive £6.7 million damping support in 2010-11.

Police: Electronic Equipment

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many hand-held IT devices are in use in each police force in England and Wales.

Nick Herbert: The total number of hand held devices in police forces across England and Wales is 44,735 (including the Serious Organised Crime Agency and ACPO Terrorism and Allied Matters). The table shows the total number of mobile devices in each police force in England and Wales.
	
		
			  Number of hand-held devices in each police force in England and Wales 
			  Police force area  Number of devices 
			 Avon and Somerset 1,568 
			 Bedfordshire 1,450 
			 Cambridgeshire 1,550 
			 Cheshire 1,200 
			 City of London 163 
			 Cleveland 1,200 
			 Cumbria 66 
			 Derbyshire 492 
			 Devon and Cornwall 0 
			 Dorset 137 
			 Durham 120 
			 Essex 2,877 
			 Gloucestershire 0 
			 Greater Manchester 1,014 
			 Hampshire 306 
			 Hertfordshire 2,156 
			 Humberside 648 
			 Kent 2,670 
			 Lancashire 3,002 
			 Leicestershire 903 
			 Lincolnshire 800 
			 Merseyside 1,400 
			 Metropolitan Police 2,000 
			 Norfolk 0 
			 North Yorkshire 578 
			 Northamptonshire 995 
			 Northumbria 0 
			 Nottinghamshire 2,185 
			 South Yorkshire 850 
			 Staffordshire 2,300 
			 Suffolk 0 
			 Surrey 260 
			 Sussex 0 
			 Thames Valley 1,200 
			 Warwickshire 46 
			 West Mercia 0 
			 West Midlands 78 
			 West Yorkshire 3,400 
			 Wiltshire 1,164 
			 England 38,778 
			   
			 North Wales 1,760 
			 Dyfed Powys 11 
			 Gwent 900 
			 South Wales 1,100 
			 Wales 3,771 
			  36 
			 ACPO Terrorism and Allied Matters (TAM)  
			 British Transport Police 1,350 
			 SOCA 800 
			 England and Wales 44,735

Police: Employment Tribunals

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers were the subject of employment tribunals in 2009.

Nick Herbert: Forces are responsible for dealing locally with employment tribunals. We do not collect these data centrally.

Police: Finance

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance she has provided to police authorities on the likely percentage change in their budgets in the next four years.

Nick Herbert: Future funding will be addressed in the spending review in October 2010.

Police: Finance

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the average proportion of police force funding spent as  (a) capital and  (b) revenue in each of the last 10 years.

Nick Herbert: holding answer 15 July 2010
	 The information requested is available in the House of Commons Library, in the Statistics Resource Unit under Police Statistics Actuals.

Police: Grants

Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will provide financial support to police authorities which have had their grant for 2010-11 reduced and which have  (a) below-average council tax yields and  (b) low tax bases.

Nick Herbert: No. The £125 million core Government reductions have been calculated so that each police authority will face a reduction equivalent to the same percentage (1.5%) of their core Government funding. This means that each police authority will face a fair share of the reduction.
	Government funding for the police will still increase by £124 million over last year.

Police: Manpower

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) police constables,  (b) sergeants,  (c) inspectors,  (d) police community support officers and  (e) support staff there are in each police force in England and Wales.

Nick Herbert: The available data are provided in the following table:
	
		
			  Police officer, staff, community support officers strength, as at 31 March 2009 by police force area( 1) , England and Wales 
			  Number 
			  Police force  Inspector  Sergeant  Constable  Police staff( 2)  PCSO 
			 Avon and Somerset 175 502 2,589 2,176 381 
			 Bedfordshire 60 175 970 764 122 
			 Cambridgeshire 88 247 1,065 990 195 
			 Cheshire 125 360 1,644 1,480 234 
			 Cleveland 76 249 1,391 725 198 
			   
			 Cumbria 63 178 1,009 811 107 
			 Derbyshire 104 322 1,656 1,288 205 
			 Devon and Cornwall 184 587 2,708 1,790 362 
			 Dorset 88 236 1,138 984 156 
			 Durham 86 231 1,236 925 171 
			   
			 Essex 145 504 2,757 2,087 446 
			 Gloucestershire 74 197 1,058 708 161 
			 Greater Manchester 358 1,160 6,536 3,861 782 
			 Hampshire 202 646 2,860 2,352 325 
			 Hertfordshire 126 320 1,662 1,549 256 
			   
			 Humberside 112 327 1,607 1,404 321 
			 Kent 194 523 2,975 2,430 390 
			 Lancashire 195 614 2,857 1,982 437 
			 Leicestershire 115 355 1,833 1,218 228 
			 Lincolnshire 67 165 968 816 153 
			   
			 London, City of 58 134 585 297 48 
			 Merseyside 234 677 3,479 2,221 442 
			 Metropolitan Police 1,772 5,855 24,215 14,177 4,594 
			 Norfolk 84 264 1,270 1,072 277 
			 Northamptonshire 68 212 1,002 1,151 168 
			   
			 Northumbria 182 608 3,216 2,068 259 
			 North Yorkshire 83 269 1,072 1,095 173 
			 Nottinghamshire 124 420 1,799 1,505 243 
			 South Yorkshire 152 453 2,375 2,120 328 
			 Staffordshire 112 372 1,669 1,315 236 
			   
			 Suffolk 72 215 957 868 160 
			 Surrey 108 303 1,397 1,732 206 
			 Sussex 184 516 2,409 2,080 399 
			 Thames Valley 207 656 3,347 2,897 517 
			 Warwickshire 52 134 773 688 143 
			   
			 West Mercia 132 400 1,869 1,722 272 
			 West Midlands 382 1,108 7,002 3,570 812 
			 West Yorkshire 294 796 4,621 3,483 761 
			 Wiltshire 77 188 923 854 135 
			   
			 Dyfed-Powys 66 189 908 633 82 
			 Gwent 76 228 1,093 855 139 
			 North Wales 83 274 1,184 823 159 
			 South Wales 162 496 2,397 1,728 325 
			 Total of all 43 forces 7,398 22,664 110,080 79,296 16,507 
			 (1) This table contains full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number.  (2) Police staff excludes designated officers, traffic wardens and police community support officers.

Police: Pay

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average annual salary was for police officers based in  (a) north Kent and  (b) the Metropolitan police district in the latest period in which figures are available.

Nick Herbert: The Home Office does not currently collect data from police forces on the pay of individual police officers, and does not hold information on average salary for police officers based in North Kent and the Metropolitan police.

Police: Pay

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average salary was of a police officer in  (a) the Thames Valley and  (b) the Metropolitan police area in the latest period for which figures are available.

Nick Herbert: The Home Office does not currently collect data from police forces on the pay of individual police officers, and does not hold information on average salary for police officers based in Thames Valley and the Metropolitan police.

Police: Sick Leave

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many days sick leave were taken by  (a) police constables,  (b) sergeants,  (c) inspectors,  (d) police community support officers and  (e) support staff in each police force in England and Wales in the latest period for which figures are available.

Nick Herbert: The available data are provided in the following table. The latest available period is the financial year 2008-09. Figures are collected centrally as hours lost to sickness and are only broken down in to 'police officers' and 'all police staff'.
	
		
			  Total contracted hours lost to sickness, by police force, 2008-09( 1, 2, 3) 
			  Number 
			   All police staff  Police officers 
			 Avon and Somerset 260,928 317,150 
			 Bedfordshire 70,132 90,826 
			 Cambridgeshire 88,268 116,197 
			 Cheshire 111,190 113,254 
			 Cleveland 68,212 101,653 
			 Cumbria 78,621 83,958 
			 Derbyshire 82,072 134,960 
			 Devon and Cornwall 199,253 257,557 
			 Dorset 91,909 107,349 
			 Durham 66,271 109,677 
			 Dyfed-Powys 37,784 57,403 
			 Essex 213,384 246,184 
			 Gloucestershire 73,215 103,205 
			 Greater Manchester 353,729 524,989 
			 Gwent 83,161 147,317 
			 Hampshire 196,680 242,568 
			 Hertfordshire 151,945 176,399 
			 Humberside 110,427 110,997 
			 Kent 192,391 243,886 
			 Lancashire 155,294 188,447 
			 Leicestershire 98,886 117,227 
			 Lincolnshire 77,665 95,704 
			 London, City of 23,909 36,197 
			 Merseyside 197,316 301,056 
			 Metropolitan Police 1,208,950 1,727,755 
			 Norfolk 95,796 123,653 
			 Northamptonshire 74,065 62,458 
			 Northumbria 147,453 268,203 
			 North Wales 63,209 106,006 
			 North Yorkshire 95,973 123,104 
			 Nottinghamshire 155,372 174,299 
			 South Wales 134,192 293,434 
			 South Yorkshire 213,912 221,364 
			 Staffordshire 131,584 189,389 
			 Suffolk - - 
			 Surrey 134,050 122,932 
			 Sussex 217,044 229,711 
			 Thames Valley 220,804 266,064 
			 Warwickshire 63,226 100,394 
			 West Mercia 160,629 168,618 
			 West Midlands 266,137 464,709 
			 West Yorkshire 289,576 403,193 
			 Wiltshire 93,387 108,914 
			 (1) Figures are provisional and have not been verified by forces.  (2) Figures on sickness absence are collected as hours lost.  (3) Figures are only collected centrally broken down in to 'police officers' and 'all police staff. Therefore no further rank breakdowns can be provided.

Security Services

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will commission research into the level of public trust in the security service.

Nick Herbert: The Government do not consider such research to be a priority for scarce resources at this time. The Prime Minister, in a statement on 6 July 2010,  Official Report, column 175, noted that public confidence in the security services was being eroded by allegations of their complicity in mistreatment of detainees carried out by other countries, and set out the steps which the Government intend to take to remedy this situation.

Sexual Offences

Christopher Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans she has to amend the National Police Records (Recordable Offences) Regulations 2000 to provide for police powers to take DNA and fingerprint evidence in respect of offences contrary to section 51A of the Sexual Offences Act 2003.

Nick Herbert: We have recently been made aware of the absence of this offence from the National Police Records (Recordable Offences) Regulations 2000. We are considering how and when this can be corrected.

Terrorism

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) charges were made and  (b) prosecutions were brought consequent on discoveries following searches undertaken under section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000 in the last five years; and what estimate she has made of the likely change in the number of such charges and prosecutions following her changes to guidance on the use of such powers.

Nick Herbert: In relation to the number of charges and prosecutions brought against individuals following a search under section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000, the Home Office does not collate statistics to show these incidences. There will be no further stop and searches of pedestrians under section 44(2) as police officers will now be using alternative powers under section 43. Stops and searches under section 44(1) of vehicles and their occupants will continue; however, reasonable suspicion will be required for the exercise of this power. The oral statement of 8 July 2010 set out the changes to the use of this power.

Terrorism: Stop and Search

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were stopped and searched under the provisions of the Terrorism Act 2000 in each of the last five years.

Nick Herbert: The total number of stop and searches under section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000 for the years between 2005 and 2009 is as follows:
	
		
			   Number of stop and searches 
			 2004-05 37,000 
			 2005-06 50,000 
			 2006-07 42,800 
			 2007-08 126,500 
			 2008-09 210,000 
		
	
	These data are available in the Home Office Statistical Bulletin Police Powers and Procedures 2008/09 (published on 15 April 2010), at the following link:
	http://rds.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs10/hosb0610.pdf
	Data from 2009-10 are not yet available.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the US administration on detention conditions in US prison establishments at Bagram in Afghanistan; how many individuals apprehended by British forces have been rendered to US detention facilities in Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: The Government maintain an ongoing dialogue with US colleagues on a range of detention-related matters, including detention conditions.
	Two individuals were captured by UK forces in and around Baghdad during a security operation conducted in February 2004. They were transferred to US detention, in accordance with normal practice, and subsequently moved to a US detention facility in Afghanistan. The individuals transferred to Afghanistan are members of Lashkar-e-Taiba, a proscribed organisation with links to al-Qaeda.

Andrei Lugovoi

Mike Gapes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his Department's officials in the Russian Federation on Andrei Lugovoi.

David Lidington: I last discussed this issue with our ambassador to Russia, Anne Pringle, during her visit to London in the week of 5 July 2010. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and I receive regular advice from our embassy in Moscow on this and the whole range of issues relating to the Government's policy towards Russia.

Asia and East Africa: Water

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has received on water rights and allocations  (a) between the Nile states and  (b) in Asia.

Alistair Burt: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has received two formal written representations from the Egyptian Government on water rights and allocation between Nile states in connection with the Nile Basin Initiative. The Egyptian Government have also raised the Nile Basin Initiative with officials.
	In the responses, the Government have emphasised that they would welcome a broad multilateral solution, which addressed the main concerns of all Nile Basin Initiative countries. The Nile Basin Initiative is an appropriate framework for settling differences between upstream and downstream countries.
	The Government are an active participant in the donor group to support the Nile Basin Initiative.
	The Foreign Secretary has not received any recent representations on water rights and allocations in Asia.

Bosnia and Herzegovina: Politics and Government

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the security situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

David Lidington: The security situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) is assessed as calm and stable. The recent commemorations of the fifteenth anniversary of the Srebrenica massacre passed off without serious incident. However in an incident on 27 June 2010, a police officer was killed and another injured in a bomb attack on a police station in Bugojno (central BiH). The BiH Government-along with the Peace Implementation Council and the EU-publicly condemned the attack in the strongest terms and urged the relevant authorities to bring the perpetrators to justice. More broadly the Government have serious concerns about the political dynamics and continued nationalist tensions in BiH. In this context the presence of the EU military mission continues to play a crucial role underpinning stability.

British Nationals Abroad: Homicide

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many British citizens were murdered while abroad in each of the last five years.

Alistair Burt: The following figures are the numbers of British nationals that have come to our attention as having been murdered while abroad in each of the last four years:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2006-07 70 
			 2007-08 89 
			 2008-09 65 
			 2009-10 58 
		
	
	These figures are taken from our casework database, which is used to record all consular assistance casework. Prior to 2006 we had no centralised database and do not have reliable data earlier than April 2006.

Departmental Carbon Emissions

Edward Miliband: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has received on the operation of his Department's Low Carbon, High Growth programme.

Alistair Burt: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has received three representations. The first from the right hon. Member for South Shields (David Miliband); the second from the noble Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean; and the third, a representation from Members of both Houses who are members of the Global Legislators Organisation for a Balanced Environment (GLOBE).

Departmental Carbon Emissions

Edward Miliband: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department spent on climate change programmes in 2009; and how much he expects it to spend on such programmes in  (a) 2010 and  (b) 2011.

Alistair Burt: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) spent £18.93 million on Low Carbon High Growth Strategic Programme Fund projects in the 2009-10 financial year. £14.2 million has been allocated to the programme for the current (2010-11) financial year. All FCO funding beyond the current financial year is subject to the outcome of the spending review. However, as my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary stated in his written ministerial statement of 29 June 2010, Official Report, columns 37-38WS, the FCO is exploring alternative sources of funding for this particular programme for future years.

Departmental Carbon Emissions

Edward Miliband: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how his Department plans to secure alternative sources of funding for its Low Carbon, High Growth programme.

Alistair Burt: As my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary stated in his written ministerial statement to the House on 29 June 2010,  Official Report, columns 37-38WS, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office is exploring alternative sources of funding for this programme for future years. These discussions are ongoing and a further statement will be made once they are complete and a final decision on the future funding of the Programme has been taken.

Departmental Internet

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  how much his Department spent on maintaining its YouTube channel in the last 12 months;
	(2)  how much his Department spent on maintaining its Flickr channel in the last 12 months;
	(3)  how many people in his Department are engaged in maintaining his Department's social media and networking sites; and what estimate he has made of the cost of employing such staff in the last 12 months;
	(4)  how much his Department spent on maintaining its Twitter feed in the last 12 months.

Alistair Burt: Digital social media channels, such as Flickr, Twitter and Youtube, are run by the proprietors of those websites. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is not charged for the use of these sites which results in a cost-saving to the department as we are able to utilise their free hosting services for otherwise expensive media storage.
	The FCO expects staff in all functions and grades to use a range of digital media-including the social web-to publish, carry out research and engage with peers, partners and the public. Our centralised digital team can advise staff on use of the social web but no one member of staff is allocated to manage Flickr, Twitter or Youtube and responsibility for social media channel management is devolved across the FCO. As a result, information on the specific numbers of staff and their costs could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Official Residences

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what residential properties maintained by his Department have been  (a) refurbished and  (b) redecorated since the Government came to office; and at what cost in each case.

Alistair Burt: This response refers only to the self contained accommodation on the second and third floors of 1 Carlton Gardens. The remainder of the building is classified as Non Residential
	The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has undertaken no refurbishment of the residential property at 1 Carlton Gardens since the Government came to office.
	Some essential maintenance and redecoration work has been undertaken in accordance with lease obligations and as a result of recommendations highlighted in the Quadrennial Inspection of 2009. This includes maintenance work to some ceilings and walls to repair identified cracks and damage caused by significant water ingress and previous repairs. A number of window frames identified as rotten have also been repaired.
	The cost of this maintenance work to the FCO is £3,437.
	The cost of other redecoration and refurbishment work, aside from this essential maintenance, undertaken in the residential accommodation as a result of my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary's occupancy has been met by him personally.

EU Accession

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on the accession of  (a) Turkey,  (b) Iceland and  (c) the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to the EU.

David Lidington: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and I engage regularly with our EU counterparts on the progress of accession negotiations with Turkey, Iceland and Croatia, and EU enlargement to the Western Balkans, including Macedonia. We discussed these issues for example, at the 2 June 2010 High Level meeting between Western Balkan and EU Foreign Ministers in Sarajevo and at, or in the margins of, the 14 June 2010 General and Foreign Affairs Council in Luxembourg.

Israel: Educational Exchanges

David Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had on expansion of the British-Israel Research and Academic Exchange Partnership for its next round.

Alistair Burt: We have committed £10,000 to the British-Israel Research and Academic Exchange Partnership (BIRAX) for this financial year which is an increase on previous spends. BIRAX is an important scheme and while we are unable to confirm funding for the next financial year we hope that we will be able to continue to support this initiative.

Nuclear Weapons

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the oral answer by the Prime Minister to the hon. Member for Cambridge of 23 June 2010,  Official Report, column 291 by the Prime Minister, whether the options considered under his Department's policy on multilateral disarmament include relinquishing the UK nuclear deterrent; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: Our nuclear deterrent continues to play an important role in ensuring our national security. Large arsenals of nuclear weapons remain, and the risk of nuclear proliferation continues. Our judgment is that only a credible nuclear capability can provide the necessary guarantee to our security. The Government therefore share a commitment to the maintenance of the UK's national nuclear deterrent, based on the ballistic missile submarine system.
	The Government are committed to the long-term vision of a world without nuclear weapons and to fulfilling our disarmament obligations under the nuclear non-proliferation treaty. The Government have pledged to press for multilateral disarmament and we will continue to work to create a safer and more stable world where the UK and others are able to relinquish their nuclear weapons.

Trinidad and Tobago: Capital Punishment

Michael Crockart: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had on capital punishment with the government of Trinidad and Tobago.

Alistair Burt: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not yet had a meeting with representatives of the Government of Trinidad and Tobago. However, Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials and our high commission in Port of Spain maintain an ongoing discussion with the Government of Trinidad and Tobago on human rights issues, including capital punishment.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Departmental Billing

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what information his Department holds on the time taken by contractors employed by it to pay the invoices of their sub-contractors under prompt payment arrangements; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Grayling: It is Government and departmental policy to pay in arrears after the goods or services have been satisfactorily provided and to pay promptly. DWP is a signatory to the Prompt Payment Code which aims to encourage good practice throughout the supply chain. DWP is committed to paying invoices within 10 days of receipt of a valid invoice. However the terms of the standard departmental contract state that payment will be within 30 days. Suppliers have a contractual requirement to pay subcontractors on these same standard terms.
	As there is not currently a contractual requirement for suppliers to pay subcontractors within 10 working days DWP does not monitor or record the time taken by contractors to pay invoices of their subcontractors under prompt payment arrangements.

Departmental Communication

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what instructions have been issued by the private office of each Minister in his Department on the preparation of briefing, speeches and replies to official correspondence.

Chris Grayling: A guide to the style to be used for ministerial correspondence is available on the Department's intranet site. In addition the offices of the Secretary of State and the Minister for Disabled People have issued guidance notes on submissions, briefings and speeches. I am placing copies of all of this material in the Library.

Departmental Location

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he plans to relocate  (a) civil servants and  (b) Government bodies for which his Department is responsible (i) out of London and (ii) to the West Midlands; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Grayling: The location of public sector activity and plans for the Government's estate will be considered alongside other public spending issues over the course of the spending review.

Departmental Travel

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate his Department has made of its expenditure on travel undertaken in an official capacity by each Minister in his Department during (i) May 2010 and (ii) June 2010.

Chris Grayling: A breakdown of ministerial UK travel expenses for May and June is as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			  Minister  May  June 
			 Iain Duncan Smith 0.00 269.70 
			 Steve Webb 0.00 165.06 
			 Chris Grayling 355.28 557.57 
			 Maria Miller 0.00 504.28 
			 Lord Freud 0.00 20.36 
		
	
	The figures in the table do not include the cost of the use by Ministers of the Government Car Service.
	As set out in the Ministerial Code, Departments will publish, at least quarterly, details of all travel overseas by Ministers. Information for the first quarter will be published as soon as it is ready.
	All travel is undertaken in accordance with the Ministerial Code.

Disability Living Allowance

Phil Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of decisions on applications for disability living allowance were  (a) appealed and  (b) reversed on appeal in the latest period for which figures are available.

Maria Miller: The information for 2009-10 is in the following table:
	
		
			   Number/percentage 
			 Total DLA decisions made 957,000 
			 DLA appeals heard by the Tribunal Service 51,000 
			 DLA appeals heard by the Tribunal Service expressed as a percentage of DLA decisions made 5.3 
			 DLA appeals found in the customers favour 21,000 
			 DLA appeals found in the customers favour expressed as a percentage of DLA appeals heard by the Tribunal Service 41.2 
			 DLA appeals found in the customers favour expressed as a percentage of the total DLA decisions made 2.2 
		
	
	During 2009-10 the number of DLA decisions heard by the Tribunal Service was 5.3% of the total DLA decisions made.
	In 41.2% of DLA appeals heard during the same period, the Tribunal Service found in the customers favour. This equates to 2.2% of the total DLA decisions made during 2009-10.

Disability Living Allowance

Phil Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many  (a) adults and  (b) children with autism have received disability living allowance in each of the last 10 years.

Maria Miller: The information is not currently available in the format requested. Autism is included as one of a group of disabling conditions within the main disabling condition of learning difficulties. The information for disability living allowance in payment for learning difficulties for adults and children in each of the last 10 years is set out in the table.
	
		
			  Medical c ondition: Learning difficulties 
			   Under 16  16 and Over 
			 November 2000 61,000 162,000 
			 November 2001 63,600 167,600 
			 November 2002 68,000 174,300 
			 November 2003 69,700 180,100 
			 November 2004 72,600 185,900 
			 November 2005 75,100 190,500 
			 November 2006 79,400 197,700 
			 August 2007 83,000 203,200 
			 November 2008 102,500 218,100 
			 November 2009 117,400 230,400 
			  Notes: 1. The preferred statistics on benefits are now derived from 100% data sources. However, the 5% sample data still provide some detail not yet available from the 100% data sources, in particular, more complete information on the disabling condition of DLA claimants. DWP recommends that, where the detail is only available on the 5% sample data, or disabling condition (DLA) is required, the proportions derived should be scaled up to the overall 100% total for the benefit. These figures have been scaled up to the overall total. 2. Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest hundred. 3. Caseload totals show the number of people in receipt of an allowance, and exclude people with entitlement where the payment has been suspended, for example if they are in hospital. 4. Learning difficulties includes the following disabling conditions: 'F86'-'Down's Syndrome', 'F87'-'Fragile X syndrome', 'F90'-'Other Learning Disability',  'F91'-'Autism',  'F92'-'Asperger Syndrome',  'F94'-'Retts Disorder' 5. November 2007 data are not available so August 2007 has been used instead.  Source: Department for Work and Pensions, Information Directorate, 5% sample

Disability Living Allowance

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many claimants of each  (a) component and  (b) level of disability living allowance there are in (i) England, (ii) Wales and (iii) Carmarthen East and Dinefwr constituency.

Maria Miller: The information requested is as follows:
	
		
			  DLA cases in payment by mobility award type: November 2009 
			   DLA rate of mobility as paid 
			   All  Higher  Lower  Nil rate 
			 England 2,536,110 1,421,620 774,550 339,940 
			 Wales 240,710 154,150 56,560 29,990 
			 Carmarthen East and Dinefwr 5,930 4,110 1,130 690 
		
	
	
		
			  DLA cases in payment by care award type: November 2009 
			   DLA rare of care as paid 
			   All  Higher  Middle  Lower  Nil rate 
			 England 2,536,110 577,000 851,670 706,790 400,660 
			 Wales 240,710 60,270 66,120 71,370 42,940 
			 Carmarthen East and Dinefwr 5,930 1,480 1,420 1,840 1,190 
			  Notes: 1. Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Parliamentary Constituency used are for the Westminster parliament for May 2010. 3. Figures show the number of people in receipt of an allowance, and exclude people with entitlement where the payment has been suspended for example if they are in hospital. 4. Recipients can be in receipt of both DLA care and mobility. 5. 'Nil rate', shows the number of cases where there is entitlement to the care component but not to the mobility component, and cases where there is entitlement to the mobility component but not to the care component. Source:  DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100% data.

Disability Living Allowance: Greater London

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people are in receipt of  (a) disability living allowance,  (b) incapacity benefit and  (c) employment and support allowance in Hornchurch and Upminster constituency.

Chris Grayling: The information requested is as follows:
	
		
			  Employment support allowance claimants, incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance, and disability living allowance: November 2009 
			  Parliamentary constituency: Hornchurch and Upminster 
			   Number 
			 IB/SDA 2,880 
			 ESA 540 
			 DLA 4,160 
			  Notes: 1. Incapacity benefit was replaced by employment support allowance (ESA) from October 2008. 2. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10, some additional disclosure has been applied. 3. Caseload for DLA show the number of people in receipt of an allowance, and exclude people with entitlement where the payment has been suspended, for example if they are in hospital. 4. Constituencies used are for the Westminster Parliament of May 2010. 5. IB/SDA 'Claimants' include people in receipt of benefit and also those who fail the contributions conditions but receive a national insurance credit, i.e. 'credits only cases'.  Source: DWP Information Directorate Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100% data as at November 2009

Disability Living Allowance: Stirling

Anne McGuire: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Stirling constituency are in receipt of  (a) disability living allowance,  (b) incapacity benefit and  (c) employment support allowance.

Chris Grayling: The information is as follows:
	
		
			  Employment support allowance claimants, incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance, and disability living allowance: November 2009 
			  Stirling parliamentary constituency  Number 
			 IBSDA 3,260 
			 ESA 630 
			 DLA 4,730 
			  Notes: 1. Incapacity benefit was replaced by employment support allowance (ESA) from October 2008. 2. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10, some additional disclosure has been applied. 3. Case load for DLA shows the number of people in receipt of an allowance, and excludes people with entitlement where the payment has been suspended, for example if they are in hospital. 4. Constituencies used are for the Westminster Parliament of May 2010. 5. IB/SDA 'Claimants' include people in receipt of benefit and also those who fail the contributions conditions but receive a national insurance credit, ie 'credits only cases'.  Source: DWP Information Directorate Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100% data as at November 2009.

Employment and Support Allowance

Michael Crockart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of those who applied for employment and support allowance failed to complete the application process in each of the last five years.

Chris Grayling: Employment and support allowance was introduced on 27 October 2008.
	The Department regularly publishes official statistics on the work capability assessment-including statistics for those who failed to complete the Employment and Support Allowance application process. The statistics were last updated in April 2010 and published in the report "Employment and Support Allowance: Work Capability Assessment: Official Statistics: April 2010", a copy of which has been placed in the Library. The report is also available on the internet at the following address:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/workingage/esa_wca/esa_wca_arc.asp

Employment: Wales

Susan Elan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department is taking to improve employment prospects for 18 to 24 year olds in  (a) North Wales and  (b) rural communities.

Chris Grayling: The Government are committed to tackling young unemployment. Young people in North Wales, and more rural communities generally, can access a range of support and advice to help them find employment.
	Through Jobcentre Plus, young people have access to a named personal adviser from day one of their claim. They work with the jobseeker to create a personalised back-to-work plan. This support continues throughout the jobseeker's spell of unemployment. At six months of unemployment, young people are guaranteed an offer of a job, training or work experience.

Funeral Payments: West Midlands

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the monetary value of funeral payments reclaimed in  (a) the West Midlands and  (b) Dudley borough was in each year since 2000.

Steve Webb: The available information is in the table. Information at borough level is unavailable.
	
		
			  Funeral payment recovery amount by financial year 
			   West Midlands  (£ million) 
			 2003-04 0.20 
			 2004-05 0.23 
			 2005-06 0.23 
			 2006-07 0.17 
			 2007-08 0.07 
			 2008-09 0.13 
			 2009-10 0.04 
			  Notes: 1. The West Midlands has been interpreted as the Government Office Region of that name. 2. The information above is for Funeral Payment claims recovered in full or in part. 3. The amount of Funeral Payments recovered has been rounded to the nearest £0.01 million. 4. Data for 2000-01 to 2002-03 for the West Midlands Government Office Region is not available, because one Social Fund district then straddled the border between the West Midlands and the East Midlands Government Office Regions. (Data is only available by Social Fund district.)  Source:  DWP Social Fund Policy, Budget and Management Information System.

Future Jobs Fund: Dudley

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much funding has been allocated from the Future Jobs Fund to organisations in  (a) Dudley borough and  (b) Dudley North constituency.

Chris Grayling: The information requested is not available.

Housing Benefit

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his most recent estimate is of the number of  (a) pensioners,  (b) people of working age who are (i) employed and (ii) unemployed,  (c) social sector tenants and  (d) private sector tenants in receipt of housing benefit in Edinburgh East constituency.

Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of  (a) pensioners,  (b) people of working age in work,  (c) people of working age and unemployed,  (d) social sector tenants and  (e) private sector tenants receiving housing benefit in City of Durham constituency.

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of  (a) pensioners,  (b) people of working age in work,  (c) people of working age and unemployed,  (d) social sector tenants and  (e) private sector tenants receiving housing benefit in Newport East constituency.

Steve Webb: The information is not available at the constituency level.
	The available information on Housing Benefit recipients is published at:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/hb_ctb/hbctb_release_jul10.xls
	An exercise is being undertaken to add other geographical areas to the Housing Benefit data: this will include parliamentary constituencies. It is hoped this exercise will be completed by early 2011.

Housing Benefit

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his most recent estimate is of the number of non-dependants living in households in Edinburgh East constituency where the main occupier is in receipt of housing benefit.

Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of non-dependants living in households where the main occupier is in receipt of housing benefit in City of Durham constituency.

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his estimate is of the number of non-dependants living in households where the main occupier is in receipt of housing benefit in Liverpool, Wavertree constituency.

Steve Webb: The information is not available.

Housing Benefit

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effects of proposed changes to housing benefits on the number of people moving home in each year from 2011-12 to 2014-15.

Steve Webb: We will publish an impact assessment for the housing benefit changes that will affect the calculation of local housing allowance rates on 23 July 2010.
	This impact assessment will not include a specific breakdown of number of people who may have to move home as a result of the proposed changes. However, the Department is working closely with the Department for Communities and Local Government, the devolved Administrations and local authorities to continue to assess the impact, to ensure an effective implementation of these measures and to provide support for those people who will be affected by the changes.
	We are developing the detailed policy design of the other housing benefit changes announced in the Budget. We shall publish impact assessments to accompany the relevant legislation when introduced in Parliament and are investigating the scope for publishing sooner.

Housing Benefit

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effects of proposed changes to the level of housing benefit announced in the June 2010 Budget on levels of homelessness in each year from 2011-12 to 2014-15.

Steve Webb: We are working closely with the Department for Communities and Local Government and the devolved Administrations to assess the impacts of the proposed changes to housing benefit, including looking at ways to minimise any risk of adverse impacts on local authorities' homelessness prevention strategies.

Housing Benefit

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many new housing benefit claims were made in each local authority area in England in the latest year for which figures are available.

Steve Webb: The information is not available in the format requested. The available information has been placed in the Library and can be found at:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/hb_ctb/hbctb_flows_may10.xls

Housing Benefit

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average payment from local housing allowance in each local authority for  (a) a shared room,  (b) a single room,  (c) a one bed property,  (d) a two bed property,  (e) a three bed property,  (f) a four bed property and  (g) a five bed property was in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Steve Webb: We are currently updating our estimate of the average payment from local housing allowance in each local authority by bedroom entitlement. Following quality assurance, this updated estimate will be included in the impact assessment of the housing benefit changes that will affect the calculation of local housing allowance rates. The Department will publish this on 23 July 2010.

Housing Benefit: Edinburgh

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his most recent estimate is of the level of under-occupation in social sector housing in Edinburgh East constituency in which the main tenant is in receipt of housing benefit.

Steve Webb: The information is not available. The Department for Work and Pensions does not collect information on dwelling size for all Housing Benefit recipients.

Housing Benefit: Homelessness

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the likely effects on levels of homelessness of his proposed changes to the housing benefit system.

Steve Webb: We are working closely with the Department for Communities and Local Government and the devolved Administrations to assess the impacts of the proposed changes to housing benefit, including looking at ways to minimise any risk of adverse impacts on local authorities' homelessness prevention strategies.

Housing Benefit: Sunderland

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people are in receipt of housing benefit in  (a) Sunderland and  (b) Houghton and Sunderland South constituency; and how many are (i) not of working age, (ii) in work and (iii) not in work.

Steve Webb: The available information is in the table. Information on whether a claimant of housing benefit is in employment or not in employment is not available.
	
		
			  Housing benefit (HB) claimants in Sunderland city council area by under 65/65 and over: as at April 2010 
			   Number 
			 All HB claimants 31,210 
			 Claimants under 65 21,030 
			 Claimants 65 and over 10,180 
			  Notes: 1. Recipients are as at second Thursday of the month. 2. Data are rounded to the nearest 10. Totals may not sum due to rounding. 3. April 2010 represents the latest data held. 4. Age groups are based on the age on the count date (second Thursday in the month), of either: (a) the recipient if they are single, or (b) the elder of the recipient or partner if claiming as a couple.  Source: Single Housing Benefit Extract 100% individual level data (SHBE). 
		
	
	The information is not available at the constituency level.
	The available information on Housing Benefit recipients is published at:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/hb_ctb/hbctb_release_jun10.xls
	An exercise is being undertaken to add other geographical areas to the housing benefit data: this will include parliamentary constituencies. It is hoped this exercise will be completed by early 2011.

Housing Benefit: Temporary Accommodation

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which local authorities have made representations to his Department on the effects of proposed changes to housing benefit and local housing allowance on temporary accommodation.

Steve Webb: The Department for Work and Pensions has received one letter from Westminster city council that includes a question about the effects of proposed changes to housing benefit and local housing allowance on housing benefit subsidy for people living in temporary accommodation.
	We have also received some informal queries from officials in various local authorities seeking clarification around future housing benefit subsidy levels for people living in temporary accommodation.

Housing Benefit: Vulnerable Adults

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he plans to take to mitigate the negative effects on vulnerable people of reductions in entitlement to housing benefit; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Webb: The Department for Work and Pensions will provide practical support for local authorities and welfare advisers to ensure that a comprehensive and consistent communication strategy is developed for people in receipt of housing benefit who may face a reduction in entitlement.
	The Government will provide additional funding for discretionary housing payments. This will be an additional £10 million in 2011-12 and £40 million a year thereafter. This will help local authorities target additional funding to those customers who they feel need the most support.
	The Department is working with other Government Departments and the devolved Administrations to explore strategies that can be adopted to ease the process for households seeking and moving to alternative accommodation.

Independent Living 2006 Fund

Michael Crockart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  if he will take steps to ensure that the new eligibility criteria for support from the Independent Living Fund do not disadvantage carers of community care service users formerly eligible to apply for support from the fund;
	(2)  if he will take steps to reduce the  (a) financial and  (b) time burden on the parents and carers of school leavers formerly eligible for support from the Independent Living Fund;
	(3)  if he will take steps to prevent parents and carers of school leavers formerly eligible for grants from the Independent Living Fund from leaving paid employment to become full-time carers.

Maria Miller: The Independent Living Fund is a discretionary fund subject to strict budgetary limits. There is no statutory entitlement to Independent Living Fund funding and there has never been any guarantee that funding can be provided in any particular case. Local authority social service departments will already be engaged with individuals and statutory responsibility for assessing and delivering essential care remains with local authorities.

Jobseeker's Allowance: Lone Parents

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his most estimate is of the number of lone parents in receipt of jobseeker's allowance in Edinburgh East constituency.

Chris Grayling: In April 2010 there were 70 lone parents claiming Jobseeker's Allowance in Edinburgh East.
	The figure has been rounded to the nearest five.

Pensions: Uprating

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the average change in the level of private pensions of increasing them in line with the consumer price index in 2011-12.

Steve Webb: The median occupational pension in payment is around £70 a week.
	The impact on individuals of the proposal to base the statutory minimum for increases in private occupational pensions on the consumer prices index rather than the retail prices index will depend on factors such as the pension scheme's rules and when the individual's pension rights were accrued.
	In 2011-12 some pensioner members are likely to experience no change as a result of the proposal to alter the method of uprating applied, and some pensioner members are likely to have their pensions increased by around 1 percentage point less due to using the consumer prices index as the basis for indexation rather than the retail prices index.

Poverty: Children

Brandon Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many children were living in workless households in Great Yarmouth constituency in  (a) 1997,  (b) 2009 and  (c) 2010.

Maria Miller: The requested data are not available for 1997, 2009 and 2010. The latest available data are for the year 2008. Data for constituency level information only go back to 2004.
	In 2008, there were estimated to be 3,200 children living in workless households in Great Yarmouth. In 2004, there were estimated to be 3,700 children living in workless households in Great Yarmouth. These figures have been rounded to the nearest 100.
	It is important to note that as with any sample survey, estimates from the Household Annual Population Survey (HAPS) are subject to a margin of uncertainty as different samples give different results. At the constituency level the group in question is very specific and the estimate is based on very small sample sizes. Therefore, the margin of uncertainty is very large for this estimate and the figure is deemed unreliable and would not be used by the Department for Work and Pensions for practical purposes.

Poverty: Children

Brandon Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many children were living in poverty  (a) before housing costs and  (b) after housing costs in the Great Yarmouth constituency in each year since 2000.

Maria Miller: Estimates of the number and proportion of children living in poverty are published in the households below average income (HBAI) series. HBAI uses household income adjusted (or 'equivalised') for household size and composition, to provide a proxy for standard of living.
	As they are based on survey data, child poverty estimates published in HBAI only allow breakdowns to Government office region and analysis by parliamentary constituency is not possible. However, figures for East of England are set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Number and percentage of children living in households with less than 60% of contemporary median household income for the East of England, before housing costs and after housing costs 
			   Number of children (million) and percentage 
			   Before housing costs  After housing costs 
			  Period  Number (million)  Percentage  Number (million)  Percentage 
			 2000-01 to 2002-03 0.2 15 0.3 23 
			 2001-02 to 2003-04 0.2 15 0.3 23 
			 2002-03 to 2004-05 0.2 15 0.3 23 
			 2003-04 to 2005-06 0.2 16 0.3 24 
			 2004-05 to 2006-07 0.2 15 0.3 25 
			 2005-06 to 2007-08 0.2 15 0.3 26 
			 2006-07 to 2008-09 0.2 16 0.3 26 
			  Notes: 1. These statistics are based on the HBAI series, sourced from the Family Resources Survey. Both of these are available in the Library. 2. All estimates are based on survey data and are therefore subject to uncertainty. Small differences should be treated with caution as these will be affected by sampling error and variability in non-response. 3. The reference period for HBAI figures are single financial years. 4. The income measures used to derive the estimates shown employ the same methodology as the Department for Work and Pensions publication HBAI series, which uses disposable household income, adjusted (or 'equivalised') for household size and composition, as an income measure as a proxy for standard of living. 5. For the HBAI series, incomes have been equivalised using Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) modified equivalisation factors. 6. Numbers of adults and children in low-income households have been rounded to the nearest 100,000.  Source: Households Below Average Income, DWP 
		
	
	Measures of income poverty at constituency level are available with National Indicator 116. This indicator shows the proportion of children living in families in receipt of out of work benefits, or tax credits where their reported income is less than 60% median income.
	Due to methodological differences to the HBAI publication, these small area estimates are not directly comparable with national or regional figures. National Indicator 116 does not necessarily capture all those, or only those, children living in households below the 60% of median threshold.
	Published data for Great Yarmouth constituency are set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Number and proportion of children living in families in receipt of income support or income-based jobseeker's allowance, or tax credits where their reported income is less than 60% of median income, Before Housing Costs, in Great Yarmouth 
			  As at August each year  Number of children  Percentage of children 
			 2006 4,835 23.9 
			 2007 5,065 24.9 
		
	
	Income measures do not necessarily capture ail aspects of poverty or inequality facing children and their families and the Government are committed to tackling the causes of poverty and not just treating the symptoms. We must tackle the root causes of how people get trapped in poverty, breaking the cycle of disadvantage and dependency culture to stimulate social mobility.
	The right hon. Member for Birkenhead (Mr Field) has been asked to lead an independent review of poverty and life chances including examining the case for reforms to poverty measures, in particular for the inclusion of non-financial elements. The review will explore whether there are measures that can improve the way poverty is tackled, ensuring we focus on the root causes and the paths into poverty as well as looking at the non-financial side.
	Both National Indicator 116 and the HBAI series are available in the Library. They can also be accessed online at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/child_poverty.htm
	and
	http://statistics.dwp.gov.uk/asd/hbai.asp

Social Security Benefits

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in what locations medical examinations and reassessments will be undertaken of people in receipt of incapacity benefit and income support during the planned trial reassessments.

Chris Grayling: During the planned trial medical examinations and reassessments will be undertaken primarily in Aberdeen medical examination centre (MEC), Burnley MEC and Preston MEC.
	Bolton MEC may also undertake the examinations and reassessments, however this will only be in cases where the person has specifically requested to attend there.

Social Security Benefits: Arthritis

Anne Begg: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department is taking to assist those with rheumatoid arthritis who are able to work to find employment.

Chris Grayling: The Department has a set of employment programmes designed to help disabled people get and keep jobs. Some programmes focus on helping people into work; others focus on support in the work place.
	These programmes range from: national back-to-work programmes available to all customers claiming incapacity benefits and ESA in Great Britain; specialist disability employment programmes for those with more significant support needs through to; the Access to Work programme which provides practical advice and financial support to employed disabled people to help them overcome obstacles resulting from disability and thus stay in work.
	We want to establish a system of employment support that treats people with the dignity they deserve. The Work Programme will provide a coherent package of support for people out of work delivering truly flexible and personalised support regardless of the barriers they face or benefits they claim.
	The full scope and shape of the Work Programme has not yet been finalised but we do recognise there will be some people for whom the Work Programme is not appropriate. The Government are committed to supporting severely disabled people and are currently reviewing the best way of doing this.

Social Security Benefits: Disability

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether his Department has undertaken an assessment of the reasons for the increase in the number of applications to the Independent Living Fund in the financial year 2010-11; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Miller: Around 2,600 applications were received by the independent living fund in March and April 2010 following the independent living fund letter to local authorities explaining that the fund would only accept applications from those in work from 1 May in order to keep within their annually agreed budget. The number of applications received in these two months represented around 65% of the number of applications that the independent living fund received in 2009-10. These included applications that would have been made throughout this year but were brought forward by local authorities when they had been notified that independent living fund would only be considering applications in line with the priorities in the trust deed from May 2010.

Social Security Benefits: Disability

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Edinburgh East constituency are in receipt of  (a) disability living allowance,  (b) incapacity benefit and  (c) employment and support allowance.

Chris Grayling: The information requested is as follows.
	
		
			  Disability living allowance, incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance, and employment support allowance claimants in Edinburgh East parliamentary constituency: November 2009. 
			  Number 
			  Parliamentary Constituency  DLA  IB/SDA  ESA 
			 Edinburgh East 5,870 5,120 750 
			  Notes: 1. Incapacity Benefit was replaced by Employment Support Allowance (ESA) from October 2008. 2. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 3. Caseload for DLA show the number of people in receipt of an allowance, and exclude people with entitlement where the payment has been suspended, for example if they are in hospital. 4. Constituencies used are for the Westminster Parliament of May 2010. 5. IB/SDA 'Claimants' include people in receipt of benefit and also those who fail the contributions conditions but receive a National Insurance Credit, i.e. 'credits only cases'.  Source: DWP Information Directorate 100% WPLS

Social Security Benefits: EU Nationals

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions under what circumstances migrants from other EU countries may continue receiving UK benefit payments after returning to their countries of origin; and after what period such payments cease.

Chris Grayling: Migrants from other EU countries, who have become entitled to a UK benefit by satisfying the domestic conditions, may continue to receive that benefit on returning to their country of origin, if it is covered by the EU rules that coordinate social security. The general rule is that contributory benefits should continue to be paid in whichever country a person resides but that income-related benefits should not.
	The period for which the benefit is paid depends on the specific conditions for each benefit. If a person is entitled to contributory Jobseeker's Allowance, it can be retained for up to three months, provided that person has gone to another member state to look for work and fulfils that country's job seeking conditions. Employment and Support Allowance can continue to be paid for as long as all the conditions of entitlement are met including any work capability assessment. The UK can ask the state of residence to carry out medical testing on its behalf.

Social Security Benefits: Females

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he has made an assessment of the effects on women of proposed reductions in his Department's welfare spending.

Chris Grayling: The Department for Work and Pensions is considering the equality impacts of all proposed reductions in the Department's welfare spending announced in the Budget on 22 June 2010.

Social Security Benefits: Medical Examinations

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what medical qualifications specialists undertaking medical examinations for  (a) incapacity benefit and  (b) employment and support allowance (i) assessments and (ii) appeals are required to have.

Chris Grayling: Health care professionals undertaking incapacity benefit and employment and support allowance medical assessments are trained in disability assessment medicine. Recruitment criteria for the health care professionals are specified in the contract between DWP and Atos Healthcare. All health care professionals have to be registered with the relevant licensing authority. They must have a minimum of three years post registration experience which may be waived at the discretion of the chief medical adviser to the DWP. Their experience should feature broad based medical practice in roles that have a clear relevance to a career in disability assessment medicine. Atos Healthcare do not undertake medical assessments for incapacity benefit and employment and support allowance appeals.

Social Security Benefits: Medical Examinations

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the average time taken to complete the medical tests and appeals used to reassess benefit entitlements.

Chris Grayling: The current average clearance time for completion of employment support allowance medical assessments is 32.8 working days. The average time taken by health care professionals to complete an individual employment support allowance assessment is 46 minutes.

Social Security Benefits: Mental Illness

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of incapacity benefit and employment support allowance claimants in each English constituency have a mental health-related condition as the primary medical factor.

Chris Grayling: The information requested is not available.

Social Security Benefits: Scotland

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in respect of how many people in receipt of  (a) incapacity benefit and  (b) income support in northern Scotland he expects claims to be reassessed under the planned trial between October 2010 and February 2011.

Chris Grayling: 850 people will be included in the planned trial to reassess people in northern Scotland between October 2010 and February 2011.
	I am unable to give a specific split of the customers who are in receipt of  (a) incapacity benefit and  (b) income support as customers will be selected according to when their existing personal capability assessment becomes due and the information to identify these customers will not be available before 23 September 2010.

Unemployment Benefits: Drugs

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if his Department will undertake research into the merits of replacing out of work benefits for problem drug users with exchangeable vouchers.

Chris Grayling: We do not have plans to undertake research into replacing benefits with exchangeable vouchers for DWP customer groups. However, the Government are determined to reform the welfare system to support employment and earnings and to tackle welfare dependency. A reformed system will make it easier to ensure that drug and alcohol users receive the help and support they need to overcome their dependency and get back to work.
	Drug and alcohol addiction is one of the most damaging root causes of poverty, and helping people who are trapped on benefits through drug and alcohol addiction so that they can recover and find employment is a top priority for the Government.
	DWP has recently published research examining the issues surrounding benefit uptake in England by individuals who use illicit drugs, in particular heroin and crack cocaine, 'Problem Drug Users Experiences of Employment and the Benefit System' Department for Work and Pensions, Research Report No. 640, June 2010:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd5/report_abstracts/rr_abstracts/rra_640.asp
	The study explores the wider context of education, training and employment for drug users as well as the role of treatment. The report found that drug users face a number of barriers to employment which can include a lack of self-confidence, mental and physical health problems, a criminal record, lack of skills and qualifications and employer discrimination. In addition, financial problems can lead to homelessness and an increase in levels of crime.

Winter Fuel Payments

Susan Elan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will assess the merits of extending eligibility for the winter fuel allowance to  (a) cancer patients and  (b) carers.

Steve Webb: Winter fuel payments are targeted at older people because they are particularly vulnerable to the effects of cold weather. They provide assurance to older people that they can keep warm during the colder winter months because they know they will receive significant help with their bills.
	The structure of the scheme, which provides for an annual lump sum payment, is not necessarily appropriate for the needs of people with cancer, whose extra heating needs can arise at any time of year, not just in the winter months.
	The Government do appreciate that some people with cancer can face extra costs as a result of their condition and treatment, including heating costs, and believe that disability benefits and the disability premiums in the income-related benefits are the most appropriate way of providing this extra help.
	With regard to carers, older carers can qualify for winter fuel payments in the same way as any other older person who has reached women's state pension age. Where carers who have not yet reached this age look after a disabled person, any extra costs of impairment for the disabled person, including higher heating costs, are also provided for through disability benefits and the disability premiums in the income-related benefits. Of course, if the disabled person is above women's state pension age, provision is provided through winter fuel payments as well.

Work Capability Assessment

Michael Crockart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the average monthly number of appeals following the introduction of work capability assessments for existing incapacity benefit claimants.

Chris Grayling: The work capability assessment is used as part of the assessment of entitlement for employment and support allowance not incapacity benefit.
	The Department regularly publishes official statistics on the work capability assessment-including those on appeals. The statistics were last updated in April 2010 and published in the report "Employment and Support Allowance: Work Capability Assessment: Official Statistics: April 2010", a copy of which has been placed in the Library. The report is also available on the internet at the following address:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/workingage/esa_wca/esa_wca_arc.asp

Working Conditions: Hearing Impaired

Nicky Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his policy is on use by employers of loop systems for the deaf and hard of hearing in the workplace.

Maria Miller: Currently, the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 places a duty on an employer to make reasonable adjustments for a disabled employee or job applicant to avoid that person being put at a substantial disadvantage, compared with non-disabled people, in the workplace. A similar duty will apply from 1 October 2010 under the work provisions of the Equality Act 2010.
	The Government consider that the installation of a permanent or temporary loop system may be a reasonable adjustment for an employer to make for an employee or a job applicant who has a hearing impairment. However, there may be a range of adjustments that an employer could put in place to avoid a hearing-impaired employee or job applicant being placed at a substantial disadvantage in the workplace. Whether or not the use of a loop system is appropriate or reasonable will depend upon the circumstances of the individual case. Consequently, we do not consider it appropriate to be prescriptive about the use of loop systems.

CABINET OFFICE

Academies

David Anderson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether academies are considered to be in the private sector for the purposes of compiling the national  (a) accounts,  (b) economic and  (c) labour market statistics.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated 16 July 2010:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking whether academies are considered to be in the private sector for the purposes of compiling the national (a) accounts, (b) economic and (c) labour market statistics. 9062.
	ONS produces the United Kingdom's National Accounts. The National Accounts are an internationally comparable accounting framework that describes the activities in a national economy, including the transactions that take place between sectors of that economy. The relevant international manuals are the System of National Accounts 1993 (SNA93) and the European System of Accounts 1995 (ESA95) in particular.
	As part of the process of producing the National Accounts, ONS decides on the classification of institutions and transactions within the economy. This well-established process is published on the ONS website at
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/about/national_statistics/cop/downloads/NAclassification.pdf
	and classification decisions are recorded in the Sector Classification Guide which is available at
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vlnk=7163
	City Academies were initially examined by ONS in 2001, and classified in the Central Government Sector. They were reviewed again in 2005 and the initial classification decision was reconfirmed by the National Accounts Classification Committee, consequently ONS continues to classify City Academies within the public sector, as Central Government entities.

Departmental Operating Costs

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what steps he has taken to reduce the cost of running his Department since his appointment.

Francis Maude: Like all Government Departments, the Cabinet Office has adopted a range of initiatives in order to reduce the cost of running the Department. These include centralising our procurement function to drive down prices; reviewing our biggest projects to see where costs can be reduced; a freeze on all new consultancy spend; an advertising freeze; a freeze on recruitment and cutting spend on expenses such as first class travel and Government cars.

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many and what proportion of electors were added to the electoral register during the period 1 December 2008 to 1 September 2009 in each local authority area.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated 16 July 2010:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your question asking how many, and what proportion of electors were added to the electoral register during the period 1 December 2008 to 1 September 2009 in each local authority area (9185).
	The table shows the number of people who were registered to vote in local government elections as at 1 December 2008 and 1 December 2009 and the differences in the number of registered electors between these points in time. This difference refers to the net change between the reference points of the registers and will therefore reflect the net effect of the number of people removed from the registers as well as the number of people added. ONS does not hold detailed data on the number of people added to (or removed from) electoral registers each year.
	ONS does not hold electoral registration figures for 1 September 2009 for the UK. Electoral statistics collated by ONS for publication refer to the number of people who would be entitled to vote if an election had been held on the 1 December of each year. This is based on the qualifying date of October of the same year.
	A copy of the table has been placed in the House of Commons library.

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many elector records were deleted from the September 2009 electoral register following the second year of non-response to canvass in each local authority area.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated 16 July 2010:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your question asking how many elector records were deleted from the September 2009 electoral register following the second year of non-response to canvass in each local authority area (9186).
	ONS does not hold data on the number of people who have been deleted from the electoral register.

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people were registered to vote for parliamentary elections in each local authority area in each year since 1997.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated 16 July 2010:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your question asking how many people were registered to vote for parliamentary elections in each local authority area in each year since 1997 (9193).
	The table shows the number of people registered to vote in parliamentary elections in each local authority area, from 2001 to 2009 for England and Wales, and from 1997 to 2009 for Scotland. These are the latest data available.
	Data on the number of people registered to vote in parliamentary elections in each local authority area in England and Wales are not available before 2001. This information has only been collated since 2001.
	Figures are available for England, Wales and Scotland only. Data on the number of people registered to vote in parliamentary elections by local authority area in Northern Ireland are not available.
	Parliamentary electors are those individuals entitled to vote in parliamentary elections for Westminster and who meet the residence qualification. They include overseas electors but exclude Peers and European Union citizens. Attainers (people who attain the age of 18 during the currency of the register) are also included in these figures.
	A copy of the table has been placed in the House of Commons Library.

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many electors there were on the register in each local authority area on  (a) 1 September 2009 and  (b) 1 December 2009.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated 16 July 2010:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your question asking how many electors there were on the register in each local authority area on (a) 1 September 2009 and (b) 1 December 2009 (9198).
	ONS does not hold electoral registration figures for 1 September 2009 for the UK.
	The table shows the number of people registered to vote in local government elections in each local authority area on 1 December 2009.
	Electoral statistics collated by ONS for publication refer to the number of people who would be entitled to vote if an election had been held on the 1 December of each year and is based on the qualifying date of October of the same year.
	A copy of the table has been placed in the House of Commons library.

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many were on the electorate registered in each parliamentary constituency in  (a) February 1997,  (b) February 2001,  (c) December 2004 and  (d) February 2010.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated 16 July 2010:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your question asking how many electors there were in each parliamentary constituency in (a) February 1997, (b) February 2001, (c) December 2004 and (d) February 2010 (9199).
	The tables show the number of electors there were in each parliamentary constituency in (a) February 1997, (b) February 2001, (c) December 2004 and (d) December 2009 (Tables 1 to 4 respectively).
	Figures are not available for February 2010. This is because of a change in the reference date for electoral registers in 2001, from 16 February to 1 December of each year. As a result data are only available for December of each year since 2001.
	Parliamentary electors are those individuals entitled to vote in parliamentary elections for Westminster and who meet the residence qualification. They include overseas electors but exclude Peers and European Union citizens. Attainers (people who attain the age of 18 during the currency of the register) are also included in these figures.
	Boundary changes affecting some Parliamentary constituencies in Scotland came into effect in 2004. For these constituencies some of the difference in the number of people who were registered to vote between 1997 and 2009 may be a result of the boundary changes.
	A copy of the table will be placed in the House of Commons library.

Employment

James Clappison: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many  (a) UK nationals,  (b) UK-born people,  (c) non-UK EU nationals and  (d) non-EU nationals of working age were in employment in the (i) public and (ii) private sector in each of the last 12 quarters for which figures are available; and what the equivalent figures were in 1997.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated July 2010:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many (a) UK nationals, (b) UK-born people, (c) non-UK EU nationals and (d) non-HU nationals of working age were in employment in the (i) public and (ii) private sector in each of the last 12 quarters for which figures are available; and what the equivalent figures were in 1997. (10596)
	In the Labour Force Survey (LFS) the distinction between public and private sector is based on respondents' views about the organisation for which they work. The public sector estimates provided do not correspond to official Public Sector Employment estimates. Those are derived directly from employers and are based on National Accounts definitions, but do not include a nationality breakdown.
	The available information is shown in the table. The estimates are derived from the LFS and are not seasonally adjusted. As with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to a margin of uncertainty. This is assessed in a footnote to the table.
	The figures in the table are derived from the LFS microdata which are weighted using the official population estimates published in autumn 2009. These estimates are consistent with the figures published in the monthly Labour Market Statistical Bulletin.
	
		
			  Employment levels for people of working age( 1)  in employment by public and private sector and by nationality and country of birth. Three months ending December 1997 and three months ending March, June, September and December, 2007 to 2010 United Kingdom, not seasonally adjusted 
			  Thousand 
			   Public sector( 2, 3) 
			   UK nationals  UK born  Non-UK EU nationals( 6)  Non-EU nationals( 6) 
			 1997 Q4 5,671 5,456 38 140 
			  
			 2007 Q2 6,286 5,976 127 248 
			 2007 Q3 6,214 5,900 136 231 
			 2007 Q4 6,301 5,976 148 218 
			  
			 2008 Q1 6,293 5,964 135 249 
			 2008 Q2 6,342 6,018 138 236 
			 2008 Q3 6,284 5,964 134 238 
			 2008 Q4 6,379 6,043 124 266 
			  
			 2009 Q1 6,432 6,097 114 268 
			 2009 Q2 6,424 6,104 126 262 
			 2009 Q3 6,496 6,173 130 245 
			 2009 Q4 6,512 6,169 129 262 
			  
			 2010 Q1(7) *6,455 *6,110 ***134 **259 
		
	
	
		
			  Thousand 
			   Private sector( 2, 4) 
			   UK nationals  UK born  Non-UK EU nationals( 6)  Non-EU nationals( 6) 
			 1997 Q4 19,112 18,354 183 425 
			  
			 2007 Q2 19,388 18,432 840 873 
			 2007 Q3 19,679 18,674 830 899 
			 2007 Q4 19,608 18,609 858 935 
			  
			 2008 Q1 19,431 18,443 923 927 
			 2008 Q2 19,384 18,370 915 953 
			 2008 Q3 19,229 18,474 904 986 
			 2008 Q4 19,229 18,189 921 1,010 
			  
			 2009 Q1 18,880 17,830 975 933 
			 2009 Q2 18,652 17,628 946 909 
			 2009 Q3 18,763 17,751 915 906 
			 2009 Q4 18,682 17,682 911 925 
			  
			 2010 Q1(7) *18,491 *17,474 *911 *883 
		
	
	
		
			  Thousand 
			   Total employment( 4, 5) 
			   UK nationals  UK born  Non-UK EU nationals( 6)  Non-EU nationals( 6) 
			 1997 Q4 24,923 23,947 221 568 
			  
			 2007 Q2 25,782 24,507 968 1,133 
			 2007 Q3 26,014 24,686 968 1,143 
			 2007 Q4 26,036 24,706 1,009 1,162 
			  
			 2008 Q1 25,849 24,528 1,066 1,184 
			 2008 Q2 25,855 24,507 1,062 1,199 
			 2008 Q3 25,898 24,552 1,043 1,231 
			 2008 Q4 25,725 24,347 1,049 1,284 
			  
			 2009 Q1 25,431 24,043 1,094 1,208 
			 2009 Q2 25,201 23,849 1,075 1,180 
			 2009 Q3 25,387 24,043 1,052 1,159 
			 2009 Q4 25,325 23,974 1,045 1,197 
			  
			 2010 Q1(7) *25,102 *23,731 *1,052 *1,155 
			 (1) Men aged 16-64 and women aged 16-59. (2) It should be noted that public and private sector estimates; are based on survey respondents' views about the organisation for which they work; do not correspond to the National Accounts definition used for Public Sector Employment estimates. (3) Includes nationalised industry or state corporation, central government, civil service, local government or council (incl. police, fire services and local authority controlled schools or colleges), university or other grant funded educational establishment, health authority or NHS trust and armed forces. (4) Includes self-employed and unpaid family workers. (5) Includes those whose type of employer was not known. (6) Other EU comprises Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Sweden only in 1997 Q4. Meaningful comparisons between 1997 Q4 and 2010 Q1 are not possible due to the changes in the composition of EU. (7) Coefficients of Variation have been calculated for the latest period as an indication of the quality of the estimates, as described below:  Guide to Quality: The Coefficient of Variation (CV) indicates the quality of an estimate, the smaller the CV value the higher the quality. The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CV-for example, for an estimate of 200 with a CV of 5% we would expect the population total to be within the range 180-220.  Key: * 0 ≤ CV<5%-Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered precise ** 5 ≤ CV <10%-Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered reasonably precise *** 10 ≤ CV <20%-Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered acceptable **** CV ≥ 20%-Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered too unreliable for practical purposes  Note: It should be noted that the above estimates exclude people in most types of communal establishment (eg hotels, boarding houses, hostels mobile home sites etc.)  Source: Labour Force Survey

Government Departments: Manpower

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will publish each item of correspondence sent by his Department since 12 May 2010 requesting details of non-payroll staff from  (a) Government departments,  (b) executive agencies and  (c) non-departmental public bodies.

Francis Maude: It is not usual practice for the Department to publish internal correspondence.

Jobseeker's Allowance: Lone Parents

Luciana Berger: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what his estimate is of the number of lone parents in receipt of jobseeker's allowance in Liverpool, Wavertree constituency.

Chris Grayling: I have been asked to reply.
	In May 2010 there were 140 lone parents claiming jobseeker's allowance in Liverpool, Wavertree.
	The figure has been rounded to the nearest five.

Life Expectancy: Greater London

David Lammy: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what average male life expectancy was in  (a) Tottenham Green Ward, Haringey,  (b) Northumberland Park Ward, Haringey,  (c) Alexandra Ward, Haringey and  (d) Queen's Gate Ward, Kensington and Chelsea in (i) 2003 and (ii) the latest period for which figures are available.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated July 2010:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking what average male life expectancy was in (a) Tottenham Green Ward, Haringey, (b) Northumberland Park Ward, Haringey, (c) Alexandra Ward, Haringey and (d) Queen's Gate Ward, Kensington and Chelsea in (i) 2003 and (ii) the latest period for which figures are available. (9105)
	ONS does not routinely calculate life expectancies for individual local authority wards. The table provides male life expectancy figures at birth for (a) Tottenham Green Ward, Haringey, (b) Northumberland Park Ward, Haringey, (c) Alexandra Ward, Haringey and (d) Queen's Gate Ward, Kensington and Chelsea, for the five year period 1999-2003 (the only period available).
	Period life expectancy figures for 1999-2003 based on 2001 Census Standard Table wards in England and Wales were published as experimental statistics in June 2006. Experimental statistics-which are in a testing or consultation phase and are not fully developed-should be treated with caution. Life expectancies for wards can be based on very small numbers of deaths and small populations. They may therefore be subject to large variations even when aggregated over five years, as shown by the width of the '95% confidence interval' in the tables. More information about these statistics can be found here:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/statbase/product.asp?vlnk=14466
	
		
			  Life expectancy at birth for males, by ward in England and Wales, 1999  to  2003( 1, 2) 
			  Local authority  Ward  Life expectancy at birth (years)  95% confidence interval( 3)  (years)  Communal establishment indicator( 4) 
			 Haringey Alexandra 77 (76-79) 3 
			  Northumberland Park 71 (69-73) 0 
			  Tottenham Green 72 (70-74) 0 
			  
			 Kensington and Chelsea Queen's Gate 84 (82-86) 0 
			 (1) Period life expectancy at birth is an estimate of the average number of years a newborn baby would survive if he or she experienced the area's age-specific mortality rates for that time period throughout his or her life. The figure reflects mortality among those living in the area in each time period, rather than mortality among those born in each area. It is not therefore the number of years a baby born in the area in each time period could actually expect to live, both because the death rates of the area are likely to change in the future and because many of those born in the area will live elsewhere for at least some part of their lives.  (2) Five year averages, based on deaths registered in each year, and experimental ward population estimates based on the 2001 Census. The ward names and boundaries used are 2001 Census Standard Table wards.  (3 )Confidence intervals (CIs) are a measure of the statistical precision of an estimate and show the range of uncertainty around the estimated figure. Calculations based on small numbers of events are often subject to random fluctuations. As a general rule, if the confidence interval around one figure overlaps with the interval around another, we cannot say with certainty that there is more than a chance difference between the two figures.  (4 )The presence of medical and care communal establishments, such as nursing homes and hospices, can artificially depress the average life expectancy of the ward in which they are located. To aid interpretation of the figures, this indicator shows the proportion of the population of each ward, aged 65 and over, who were resident in such establishments in 2001. For this purpose, all wards in England and Wales (not only the wards in these boroughs) were divided into six groups which are numbered from 0 to 5: '0' means that none of the over-65 population lived in medical and care communal establishments; '1' means that the proportion of the over-65 population in such establishments was in the lowest fifth of all wards . '5' means that the proportion of the over-65 population in such establishments was in the highest fifth of all wards.

Strategic Defence and Security Review

Angus Robertson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether military aid overseas is being considered as part of the Strategic Security and Defence Review.

Liam Fox: I have been asked to reply.
	I refer the hon. Member to my statement in the House during the Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) Defence Debate on 21 June 2010,  Official Report, columns 59-60, in which I said that:
	"We intend to ensure and consequently fund, a defence diplomacy programme in the SDSR that can make an important contribution to our global influence."

Wales

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will make an assessment of the likely effects on Wales of his Department's planned spending reductions.

Francis Maude: I do not anticipate my Department's planned spending reductions to have any effect on Wales.

HEALTH

Cerebral Palsy: Children

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children resident in Bedfordshire have been diagnosed with cerebral palsy in each year since 2000.

Paul Burstow: This information is not held centrally.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Health Services

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps his Department is taking to assist those with chronic fatigue syndrome;
	(2)  how much was spent by the NHS per capita on treatment of chronic fatigue syndrome in  (a) South Tyneside,  (b) the North East and  (c) England in each of the last five years;
	(3)  how many people were diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome in  (a) Jarrow constituency,  (b) South Tyneside,  (c) the North East and  (d) England in each year since 1997.

Paul Burstow: Information on the number of people diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME) and the associated NHS expenditure is not collected.
	It is the responsibility of local health bodies to assist those living with CFS/ME, by providing access to health and social care services in line with the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidelines for this condition.

Departmental Communication

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what instructions have been issued by the private office of each Minister in his Department on the preparation of briefing, speeches and replies to official correspondence.

Simon Burns: A variety of non-prescriptive guidance has been provided to departmental staff to assist them in their work.

Departmental Lighting

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies and non-departmental public bodies spent on light bulbs in each year since 1997.

Simon Burns: The Department spent the following on light bulbs between 2003 and 2009.
	
		
			  £ 
			 2003-04 71,791.17 
			 2004-05 71,791.17 
			 2005-06 71,791.17 
			 2006-07 71,791.17 
			 2007-08 71,791.17 
			 2008-09 71,791.17 
			 2009-10 10,201.81 
		
	
	Between 2003 and 2008, the Department undertook annual re-lamping exercises. The expenditure listed above included labour and the cost of all lamps and bulbs in London Buildings (Skipton House, Wellington House and Richmond House). From 2009, lamps and bulbs have been replaced only when they fail.
	Information prior to 2003 is not available.
	The expenditure on light bulbs is not held centrally for the following departmental buildings: Quarry House, New Kings Beam House, Premier Buildings, Premier House and Castle View House. Information is also not held centrally for NHS Connecting for Health, the Department's sole agency and its non-departmental public bodies. This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Operating Costs

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he has taken to reduce the running costs of his Department since his appointment.

Simon Burns: In May 2010 Secretary of State decided to reduce the Department's administration budgets for the financial year 2010-11 by 3% in cash terms. Director generals who are accountable for these budgets are now managing expenditure within the lower totals.

Departmental Training

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his  (a) Department and  (b) its agencies and non-departmental public bodies spent on employee training in each year since 1997.

Simon Burns: The Department, its agencies and non-departmental bodies are committed to developing its staff and equipping them with the skills and knowledge to carry out their work effectively.
	The expenditure on the core Department's corporate learning and development budget in each of the last five years is presented in the following table.
	
		
			   Spend (£) 
			 2009-10 1,583,041 
			 2008-09 1,718,563 
			 2007-08 1,312,256 
			 2006-07 1,294,299 
			 2005-06 1,591,123 
		
	
	The figures outline corporate learning and development spend only, training that is funded centrally from Department's human resources budgets.
	All the Department's directorates also have local learning and development budgets but such figures are not held centrally. As such, the figures presented do not reflect total core departmental spend on this area.
	Prior to 2005-06, the Department's human resources function was devolved, therefore figures for corporate learning and development are not available and could be established only at disproportionate cost.
	Information about employee training is available from eight of the Department's current executive non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs), and from its one current agency: the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). These are presented in the following table. For the other NDPBs, including those which were abolished during the period 1997 to 2010, similar information does not exist or could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  £000 
			  Employee training  1997-98  1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09  2009-10 
			 Appointments Commission (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- 3 3 8 8 2 2 7 5 
			 Alcohol Education and Research Council (2)- (2)- (2)- (2)- (2)- (2)- (2)- (2)- (2)- (3)- (3)- (3)- (3)- 
			 Council for Healthcare Regulatory Excellence (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- 26 27 
			 General Social Care Council (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- 52 107 176 204 262 305 284 270 270 
			 Health Protection Agency (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- (3)- (3)- 1,222 1,803 1,944 2,112 2,380 
			 Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (4)- (4)- (4)- (4)- (4)- (4)- (4)- (4)- (4)- (4)- (4)- (4)- 115,268 
			 Monitor (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- (3)- 27.9 66.2 288.6 200.9 266.4 198.4 
			 Care Quality Commission (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- 1,573,485 
			 Human Tissue Authority (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- 27 107 109 110 176 
			 Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency(5) (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- 572 1,010 849 820 738 1,013 1,145 
			 (1) Not in existence. (2) Before January 2007 this was an arm's length body of Department for Culture, Media and Sport. (3) This information is not available centrally and can be obtained only at disproportionate cost. (4) Costs are included in the ALB annual accounts, a copy of which has already been placed in the Library. (5) Denotes the agency.  Note: Figures may have come from various sources and so may not exactly match with accrual accounts.

Dietary Supplements: EU Law

Iain Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make representations to the European Commission to require the European Food Safety Authority to pay compensation to UK firms affected by delays in processing claims for the health benefits of food products and supplements.

Anne Milton: No representations have been made.

Doctors: Foreign Workers

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many doctors working in GP practices in England are foreign nationals.

Simon Burns: This information is not held centrally. The Information Centre for health and social care collects data on the number of staff broken down by country of primary medical qualification and not by nationality. The 2009 medical and staff (England) shows 1,723 general practitioners (GPs) qualified within the European economic area (EEA) and 6,263 GPs qualified outside the EEA.

Fluoridation: Drinking Water

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average cost is to consumers of the fluoridation of the water supply.

Anne Milton: Strategic health authorities contract with water undertakers and bear the full costs of fluoridating their water supplies. Evidence from existing schemes indicates that the recurring costs of fluoridation are about 80p per head of population per year.

Food Standards Agency

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which parts of the nutrition functions of the Food Standards Agency were not located in his Department prior to the establishment of that Agency.

Anne Milton: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) was formed in April 2000. The current nutrition functions of the FSA that were not previously the responsibility of the Department are:
	(i) reformulation of processed foods to reduce their levels of salt, saturated fat and sugar;
	(ii) surveys of the nutrient composition of foodstuffs;
	(iii) policy on nutritional labelling of foods; and
	(iv) consumer information on the nutrient content of foods and a healthy, balanced diet.
	The functions at (ii), (iii) and (iv) were previously the responsibility of the then Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF), although the latter two areas have grown considerably in importance since 2000. The function at (i) has emerged since the FSA came into being.
	The National Diet and Nutrition Survey series, and other dietary surveys, are currently a joint responsibility of the Department and the FSA and, prior to April 2000, were a joint responsibility of the Department and MAFF.

Food Standards Agency

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received from the food industry on the future of the Food Standards Agency.

Anne Milton: None.

Food Standards Agency

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what consultation he plans to undertake with the Scottish Executive on the transfer of public health functions of the Food Standards Agency.

Anne Milton: The Secretary of State for Health wrote to the Minister for Public Health at the Scottish Executive in June to seek the Scottish Executive's view on his proposals to transfer responsibility for nutrition policy for England from the Food Standards Agency to the Department of Health.
	I refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement made by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 20 July 2010,  Official Report, column 12WS, on the Machinery of Government Changes.

Food Standards Agency

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which functions and responsibilities of the Food Standards Agency in Scotland are reserved.

Anne Milton: By virtue of the Scotland Act 1998, all the functions and responsibilities of the Food Standards Agency in Scotland are devolved.

Food Standards Agency

David Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what arrangements he plans to make for policy officials of the Food Standards Agency working on nutrition issues to publish advice issued to Ministers following their transfer into his Department.

Anne Milton: Food Standards Agency staff who are transferred to the Department will operate on the same basis as existing Departmental civil servants.

Food Standards Agency

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he had with individuals and organisations outside his Department on his plan to incorporate the Food Standards Agency nutrition functions into his Department before his announcement of 12 July 2010.

Anne Milton: The Department has sought views from the devolved Administrations on proposals to transfer responsibility for nutrition policy for England from the Food Standards Agency to the Department.

Food Standards Agency

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how the Food Standards Agency ensures continuing professional development for its nutritionist staff.

Anne Milton: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) strives to ensure that all staff have the relevant and up-to-date skills, knowledge and experience to enable them to contribute effectively in achieving the organisation's business objectives. The FSA encourages qualified nutrition staff to become recognised as registered nutritionists through the Association for Nutrition and to maintain their registration through continued professional development. The FSA promotes reflective practice to learn from work activity, seminars, conferences and encourages all staff to keep up to date through reading peer reviewed nutrition journals.
	The FSA also runs a monthly nutrition journal club.

Food Standards Agency

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his plans are for the future of the Food Standards Agency (FSA); who will have responsibility in the future for each function currently carried out by the FSA; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: I refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement made by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 20 July 2010,  Official Report, column 12WS on the machinery of government changes.

Food: Imports

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will take steps to ensure that imported food is produced to the same standards as local produce.

Anne Milton: We have been advised by the Food Standards Agency that under European law, food cannot be placed on the market if it is unsafe. This applies to food produced in other member states, which once placed on the market, is in "free circulation" or, food that is directly imported into the United Kingdom from Third countries, ie countries outside the European Union. Official controls are in place to monitor food that is imported from third countries to ensure it meets EU requirements.
	Products of animal origin, such as meat, must come from approved establishments, in approved third countries and enter the UK through designated border inspection posts, under the control of veterinary inspectors. Such food will then undergo documentary checks, identity checks and a prescribed proportion will be subject to physical checks, which could include testing for contaminants. Food not of animal origin is also subject to checks by authorised officers and, depending on its source and whether it is regarded as high risk, may undergo stringent checks to ensure it is safe for human consumption.

General Practitioners

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what the evidence base is for his proposals for a GP-led commissioning system; and if he will publish the research undertaken by his Department into commissioning systems;
	(2)  what account was taken of experience in other countries in formulating his proposals to extend GP commissioning.

Simon Burns: The White Paper, 'Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS', published on 12 July 2010, sets out our proposals for transforming the quality of commissioning by devolving decision-making to local consortiums of general practitioner (GP) practices. There is a body of evidence both from this country and internationally about the importance of involving clinicians in commissioning decisions.
	An analytical strategy was published alongside the White Paper. This set out that, between now and the legislation that will give effect to the proposals, the Department will be developing the analytical framework to give a picture of the likely effects of the White Paper. The Department will publish an impact assessment covering the proposals for GP commissioning alongside or shortly after its response to the consultation process. The Department will use the consultation period to inform the development of the impact assessments to ensure that a wide ranging and robust analysis is undertaken.

General Practitioners

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what procedures will apply to general practices wishing to move from one commissioning consortium to another.

Simon Burns: The White Paper, "Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS" published on 12 July 2010, sets out our proposals for transforming the quality of commissioning by devolving decision-making to local consortia of general practitioner (GP) practices.
	We envisage putting GP commissioning on a statutory basis, with powers and duties set out in primary and secondary legislation. Practices will have flexibility within the new legislative framework to form consortia in ways that they think will secure the best healthcare and health outcomes for their patients and locality. We envisage that the NHS Commissioning Board will be under a duty to establish a comprehensive system of GP consortia. We also envisage a reserve power for the board to be able to assign practices to consortia if necessary.
	We will shortly issue a document setting out our proposals in more detail. This will provide the basis for fuller engagement with primary care professionals, patients and the public.

General Practitioners

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the oral statement of 12 July 2010,  Official Report columns 661-63, on the NHS White Paper, what provision he plans to make for the establishment of new GP practices.

Simon Burns: An important function of the new, independent NHS Commissioning Board will be to contract for primary medical services that are appropriate to the needs of the local population, including where necessary to commission new or additional general practitioner provision.

General Practitioners

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the oral statement of 12 July 2010,  Official Report, columns 661-63, on the NHS White Paper, whether GP consortia will be able to make arrangements for their patients to receive medication on the NHS which the NHS does not currently provide.

Simon Burns: The White Paper, Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS published on 12 July 2010, sets out our proposals for transforming the quality of commissioning by devolving decision-making to local consortia of general practitioner practices.
	We will be considering the issue of whether consortia will be able to make arrangements for their patients to receive medication not currently funded by the national health service as we develop the detail of the new commissioning arrangements.

General Practitioners: Bureaucracy

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his Department's latest estimate is of the proportion of GPs' working time which is spent on administration.

Simon Burns: The last GP Workload Survey, published in July 2007 by the NHS Information Centre for health and social care, showed that the average amount of time spent on practice administration per week by general medical practitioners (excluding locums) was 1.9 hours, representing 5.5% of their time. The survey is available on the NHS Information Centre website:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/statistics-and-data-collections/primary-care/general-practice/gp-workload-survey
	This compares with French general practitioners spending 285 minutes, or 4.75 hours, on administration as published by Issues in Health Economics in July 2009.

General Practitioners: Manpower

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many GPs are working in the NHS; and how many are expected to be working in the NHS in 2015.

Simon Burns: The headcount and full-time equivalent numbers of general practitioners (GPs) currently working in the national health service are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  General practitioners in England as at 30 September 2009 
			   Number 
			 Headcount 40,269 
			 Full-time equivalent (FTE) 36,085 
			  Source: NHS Information Centre for health and social care 
		
	
	The number of GPs expected to be working in the NHS in 2015 is not held centrally. Local NHS employers are responsible for determining the staff required to meet the health care needs of the local population.

General Practitioners: Training

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether GPs will be provided with training for the exercise of their proposed roles as commissioners of health care.

Simon Burns: The White Paper, "Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS" published on 12 July 2010, sets out our intention to devolve power and responsibility for commissioning services to local consortia of general practitioner (GP) practices.
	GP consortia will have the freedom to decide what commissioning activities they undertake for themselves and for what activities (such as some aspects of financial management) they may choose to buy in support from external organisations, including local authorities, private and voluntary sector bodies.
	Primary care trusts will also have an important task in the next two years in supporting practices to prepare for the new arrangements.
	We will shortly issue a document setting out our proposals in more detail. This will provide the basis for fuller engagement with primary care professionals, patients and the public.

Health

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health who will be responsible for commissioning healthy lifestyle services relating to  (a) exercise,  (b) smoking cessation and  (c) weight management after the abolition of primary care trusts.

Anne Milton: After the abolition of primary care trusts local directors of public health, employed within local authorities but jointly appointed with the new public health service, will be responsible for commissioning health improvement services, including healthy lifestyle services such as exercise, smoking cessation and weight management. They will use for this purpose a ring-fenced budget allocated by the Department. While the Secretary of State for Health will set national objectives for improving health outcomes, decisions on how to secure those objectives will be made locally, in the light of local needs and circumstances.

Health Services: Rural Areas

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the Oral Statement of 12 July 2010,  Official Report, columns 661-63, on the NHS White Paper, if he will make additional funding available to  (a) GP consortia and  (b) local authorities in rural areas to reflect rural needs.

Simon Burns: The NHS Commissioning Board will make national health service revenue allocations to general practitioner consortia for 2013-14 onwards on the basis of seeking to secure equivalent access to NHS services relative to burden of disease and disability. In addition, the Department will create a ring-fenced public health budget to be allocated to local authorities, the allocation formula for which will include a new 'health premium' designed to promote action to improve population-wide health and reduce health inequalities.
	Details of the formulae to be used to allocate this funding will be provided in due course.

Health Services: Standards

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his most recent estimate is of the maximum time an NHS patient may have to wait from initial diagnosis to the commencement of treatment; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: Information on waiting times from initial diagnosis to the commencement of treatment is not collected centrally.
	Information collected centrally shows that in May 2010, the average (median) time waited from referral to starting consultant-led treatment was 8.4 weeks for patients admitted to hospital for treatment and 4.3 weeks for patients whose treatment did not require an admission to hospital.
	The revised "Operating Framework for 2010-11", published on 21 June, empowered patients and clinicians to focus on quality and outcomes not processes.
	To ensure patients do not experience undue delay at any stage of their treatment we will continue to publish and monitor waiting times between referral and start of consultant-led treatment. General practitioners and commissioners of health services can use this information locally to ensure that they can continue to improve access to services for their patients.

Health Services: Witham

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the  (a) number and  (b) proportion of residents of Witham constituency (i) registered with a GP and (ii) with access to an NHS dentist.

Simon Burns: Information is not available in the format requested.
	Under the new dental contractual arrangements, introduced on 1 April 2006, patients do not have to be registered with an national health service dentist to receive NHS care. The closest equivalent measure to 'registration' is the number of patients receiving NHS dental services ('patients seen') over a 24 month period.
	Information on the number and proportion of patients seen in the previous 24 months, in England, is available in Table Dl and D2 of Annex 3 of the NHS Dental Statistics, Quarter 3: 31 December 2009 report. Information is available at quarterly intervals, from 31 March 2006 to 31 December 2009 and is provided by primary care trust (PCT) and by strategic health authority (SHA).
	This report, published on 20 May 2010, has been placed in the Library and is also available on the NHS Information Centre website at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/dentalstats0910q3
	We have included in our coalition programme a commitment to the introduction of a new dentistry contract that will focus on achieving good dental health and increasing access to the NHS dentistry.
	The following table shows general practitioner (GP) registered patients for Witham Constituency, as at September 2009.
	
		
			  Primary Care Trust (PCT)  GP Registered Patients 
			 Mid Essex PCT 375,857 
			 North East Essex PCT 322,507 
			  Notes: 1. The GP Census collection contains data by trust level only. Witham constituency is contained within and served by Mid Essex primary care trust and north east Essex primary care trust. Data is for the number if GP patient registrations shown on the annual GP Census collection as at September 2009. Please note this is not resident population and may be higher than resident population in the given areas due to multiple registrations/GP systems not being fully up-to-date etc, Owing to this, proportions of numbers registered (and not registered) cannot be accurately calculated by dividing the numbers represented here by resident population statistics. The numbers here represent GP registrations to NHS GPs only. 2. The NHS Information Centre for health and social care seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data but responsibility for data accuracy lies with the organisations providing the data. Methods are continually being updated to improve data quality where changes impact on figures already published. This is assessed but unless it is significant at national level figures already published. This is assessed but unless it is significant at national level figures are not changed. Impact at detailed or local level is footnoted in relevant analyses.  Source:  Information Centre for health and social care.

Kidney Patients: Infectious Diseases

Robert Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many kidney dialysis patients have acquired hospital-borne infections in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: Data are not available in the format requested. However, the national health service information centre has recently been commissioned to conduct an audit of vascular access in dialysis patients and this will investigate health care associated infection rates.
	The mandatory surveillance system for meticillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bloodstream infections provides some information on dialysis patients. The Health Protection Agency document "Surveillance of Healthcare Associated Infections Report: 2008", shows that nephrology (kidney care) has the highest rates of MRSA bacteraemias of all specialities. A copy has been placed in the Library.

Maternity Services

Helen Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  whether he has set targets for the optimum proportion of births at each maternity unit by  (a) caesarean section,  (b) medical induction,  (c) surgical induction,  (d) combined surgical and medical induction and  (e) spontaneous labour;
	(2)  what outcomes his Department uses to assess the quality of maternity services.

Anne Milton: There are no targets for the optimum proportion of births. Care is managed in accordance with the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guideline recommendations.
	The Department is currently consulting on a national health service outcomes framework. The consultation document "Liberating the NHS: Transparency in outcomes for the NHS", published 19 July 2010, includes proposals for improvement and outcome indicators for maternity services. The consultation period closes on 11 October 2010.
	The Care Quality Commission is the independent regulator of health and adult social care in England and is therefore responsible for assuring the safety and quality of services provided by maternity units. All providers of regulated activities have to register with the Commission and meet 16 requirements of essential safety and quality. The Commission has published its "Guidance About Compliance", which it uses to assess whether providers are meeting the registration requirements.

Mental Health Services: Prisoners

Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will discuss with the Secretary of State for Justice an increase in support for NHS staff treating mental health patients in the Prison Service.

Paul Burstow: The national health service is responsible for the commissioning of health care in prisons and the Department of Health and Ministry of Justice have regular discussions about health care in prisons.

Muscular Dystrophy: Young People

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what services meeting internationally-agreed Standards of Care the NHS provides for young people with Duchenne muscular dystrophy making the transition from paediatric to adult services;
	(2)  how much funding special commissioning groups allocated for the provision of services to patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy in each region in the last 12 months; and what recent assessment he has made of the extent to which the organisation of care for such patients complies with the agreed Standards of Care.

Paul Burstow: It is the responsibility of health and care professionals, working in conjunction with patients and their families, to arrange the most appropriate health and social care for those living with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Those living with Duchenne muscular dystrophy should continue to be able to access the full range of health and social care services during the transition from paediatric to adulthood. It is the responsibility of local health bodies and health professionals to ensure transition to adult services does not result in a deterioration in available services.
	The National Service Framework for Long-term Conditions (the NSF) provides an overview how this care should be provided. The eleven Quality Requirements of the NSF are compatible with more condition specific standards of care, such as the international TREAT-NMD recommendations for Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
	Information on funding allocated by special commissioning groups for Duchenne muscular dystrophy is not routinely collected.
	We have made no assessment of the extent to which the care for such patients complies with internationally agreed standards of care.

Neuroblastoma: Health Services

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent on treating patients with neuroblastoma in each of the last five years.

Paul Burstow: The Department holds estimated England level expenditure on cancer and tumours, which can only be broken down into general sub-categories, therefore this information is not centrally collected.

NHS

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to paragraph 5q of his Department's White Paper Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS, by what mechanisms he will limit the powers of Ministers over day-to-day NHS decisions.

Simon Burns: Current statutory arrangements allow the Secretary of State a large amount of discretion to micromanage parts of the national health service. In future, the Government will be clear about what the NHS should achieve; we will not prescribe how it should be achieved. It is intended that the forthcoming Health Bill will introduce provisions to establish more autonomous NHS institutions, with greater freedoms, clear duties, and transparency in their responsibilities to patients and their accountabilities.

NHS: Drugs

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what continuing mechanisms there are to evaluate whether that  (a) generic and  (b) other drugs represent value for money.

Simon Burns: The major control over the expenditure on national health service generic medicines is effected by the Category M system which adjusts reimbursement prices in line with market prices each quarter, taking into account the findings of the medicines margins survey, which monitors the amount of margin pharmacies earn on the medicines they dispense. These arrangements were agreed as part of the community pharmacy contractual framework and have the objectives of ensuring that safe and effective generic medicines are available to patients while securing value for money for the NHS.
	The prices of branded prescription medicines and the profits that companies can make on these sales are controlled by the 2009 Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme, which is a voluntary agreement, agreed between the Department and the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry.
	In addition, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence provides advice to the NHS on the clinical and cost effectiveness of individual products and treatments.
	Purchasing of medicines in hospitals is supported by the Department's Commercial Medicines Unit (CMU). Its focus is on strategic supply management in medicines for secondary care, including securing the stable supply of critical drugs. As part of a selective competitive tendering work plan for hospital framework contracts, CMU works to maintain and develop competition. Specific procurement programmes deliver framework agreements for the NHS to call off requirements targeted at generic, branded and specialised medicines. CMU works collaboratively with both NHS pharmacists and suppliers in the collation and analysis of secondary care medicines spend on behalf of both the Department and the NHS via its information systems.

NHS: Drugs

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many officials in  (a) his Department and  (b) the NHS have responsibility for purchasing drugs; and how much their salaries were in the last 12 months.

Simon Burns: The purchasing of medicines for use in primary care in the national health service is undertaken by dispensing contractors under the reimbursement arrangements detailed in the Drug Tariff. In secondary care, this is undertaken through a network of procurement specialists and hospital pharmacists. Information is not held centrally on the number and salaries of staff involved.
	There are 62 officials in the Department who currently manage the framework agreements for generic and branded medicines for use in NHS hospitals. This work is undertaken as part of a wider role, which includes work associated with supply chain activity, e-commerce, the collection and provision of medicines information in secondary care and the supply of specialised medicines, childhood vaccines and clinical countermeasures.
	In addition, two officials oversee the purchase of buffer stocks of a range of medicines that would be used in the event of a supply chain disruption caused by a pandemic or other emergency.
	Details of salary ranges are listed in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of staff  Grade  Pay range 2009-10 
			 1 Administrative Officer £16,229-£23,120 
			 3 Executive Officer £20,417-£29,600 
			 12 Higher Executive Officer £25,534-£36,765 
			 30 Senior Executive Officer £32,148-£45,118 
			 8 Grade 7 £43,348-£60,962 
			 4 Grade 6 £54,617-£73,828 
			 1 Senior Civil Service band 1 £70,000-£74,999

NHS: Finance

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the recent Health White Paper, what steps he plans to take to ensure that commissioning consortia do not underspend allocated financial resources.

Simon Burns: The White Paper, 'Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS', published on 12 July 2010, sets out our proposals for transforming the quality of commissioning by devolving decision-making to local consortiums of general practitioner (GP) practices supported by an independent NHS Commissioning Board.
	GP consortiums will include an accountable officer, and the NHS Commissioning Board will be responsible for holding consortiums to account for the stewardship of national health service resources.
	A further document setting out these proposals in more detail will be issued shortly, providing the basis for a full engagement with primary care professionals, patients and the public.

Self-harm

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the guidance issued by his Department to professionals working with incidents of self-harm amongst  (a) prisoners,  (b) asylum seekers,  (c) armed forces veterans,  (d) people bereaved by suicide,  (e) ethnic minority groups and  (f) sexual orientation minority groups; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the standard of services for people who attempt suicide provided by  (a) primary care trusts and  (b) local authorities; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Burstow: The Department has made no such assessments.
	The Care Quality Commission is the independent regulator of health and social care in England.

Slaughterhouses: Inspections

David Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many abattoirs and meat cutting plants are subject to inspection by staff of the Food Standards Agency; and how many such plants are not required to have meat hygiene inspectors on site when operating.

Anne Milton: All abattoirs are subject to inspection and audit, with Food Standards Agency (FSA) presence required during the hours of operation. As at 20 July 2010, there are 425 approved abattoirs in Great Britain.
	Cutting plants do not require FSA presence when operating, but are subject to audit on a risk based frequency. As at 20 July 2010, there are 1273 approved cutting plants in Great Britain.
	One premise may comprise both an abattoir and a cutting plant.

Slaughterhouses: Inspections

David Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average cost to the meat industry of a meat hygiene inspector was in each of the last three years.

Anne Milton: The hourly rates charged for a meat hygiene inspector to a Food Business Operator (FBO) in Great Britain for the delivery of official controls in an approved establishment over the last three years are:
	
		
			  £ /hour 
			 29 March 2010 to date 32.40 
			 28 September 2009 to 28 March 2010 30.70 
			 31 March 2008 to 27 September 2009 22.50 
			 28 May 2007 to 30 March 2008 20.80 
		
	
	From April 2001 until 28 September 2009 charging was based on the lower of throughput or time charges. The vast majority of FBOs paid throughput charges. Those FBOs that paid time charges were not paying for the full cost of the service provided. This was approximately 30% below full cost due to Ministers freezing charge rates in 1999 and capping rates in 2000.
	From 28 September 2009, a fully time based charging system was implemented, FBOs are charged the full cost of the service less a discount. The discount has been calculated such that the 2009-10 charge for an FBO would be the same should their throughput and operating hours remain the same, subject to compliance with the European Union minima requirement. After recalculating the EU minima requirement using the average sterling/euro exchange rate for 2009, the range of discounts received by FBOs is currently 0-100%.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Departmental Civil Servants

Graham Evans: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many employees in his office attended Civil Service Live in 2010; what estimate he has made of the number of early leavers taken up in such attendance; and how much such attendance cost the Cabinet Office.

Nicholas Clegg: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office on 21 July 2010,  Official Report, column 375W, which covers the attendance of Cabinet Office staff.
	My office is an integral part of the Cabinet Office.

Departmental Running Costs

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what steps he has taken to reduce the running costs of his office since his appointment.

Nicholas Clegg: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office earlier. My office is an integral part of the Cabinet Office

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much was spent by the Government on encouraging people to register to vote in each of the last five years; and how much is planned to be spent on this in 2010-11.

Mark Harper: Electoral registration officers receive funding for undertaking activity related to electoral registration direct from local authorities, via the Revenue Support Grant (RSG).
	In addition, in each of the last five years, funds have been provided from the Participation Fund to support local electoral officers in undertaking their statutory duties under sections 9 and 69 of the Electoral Administration Act 2006 (which require them to maintain the electoral register and to encourage participation by electors):
	
		
			   £ 
			 2005-06 0 
			 2006-07 0 
			 2007-08 934,741.56 
			 2008-09 544,391.70 
			 2009-10 (1)153,894.99 
			 (1) The Government provided pre-approval for a further £399,976 to be spent by local electoral officers. This will be paid upon receipt of relevant claims and invoices. 
		
	
	In addition, a total of £67,354.96 is planned to be spent in 201011. This sum relates to the cost of activities which were undertaken by local authority electoral officials to encourage participation at the elections which were held on 6 May. The Participation Fund has now been ended, in the Emergency Budget of 22 June 2010. Support for the work of electoral registration officers will be strengthened as part of the move to individual electoral registration which this Government are committed to speeding up.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Banks: Loans

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent discussions he has had on measures to increase levels of bank lending to small businesses.

Mark Prisk: holding answer 20 July 2010
	The Cabinet Committee on Banking and the Independent Commission on Banking were established to address the fundamental banking issues, including lending to small businesses.
	In addition to this, Ministers will hold a quarterly forum to bring together representatives from the high street banks as well as key small business representative bodies to discuss access to credit issues.

Banks: Loans

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when he plans to bring forward proposals to increase the flow of credit to small and medium-sized enterprises; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: Our coalition agreement makes clear that ensuring the flow of credit to viable SMEs is essential for supporting growth and should be a core priority for a new Government, and we will work together to develop effective proposals to do so.
	As such, the Budget announced that a Green Paper will be published before the summer recess to consider the broad range of finance options for businesses.
	In the meantime, we continue to encourage the banks to lend to credit worthy businesses. The Budget also announced that the Enterprise Finance Guarantee (EFG) facility for this year is being increased by £200 million to £700 million for small businesses until 31 March 2011. In addition, the Government have in place agreed lending commitments to Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) businesses with RBS and Lloyds Banking Group.

Clasado: EU Law

Iain Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will make representations to the European Commission to review time taken by the European Food Safety Authority to assess the health benefits claimed for food products and supplements produced by Clasado Ltd in Milton Keynes.

Mark Prisk: The Government are aware of a large backlog of claims as a result of the increased rigour required from the scientific review of health benefit claims and the concerns of industry arising from this. The Government will urge the Commission to expedite the assessment and authorisation process.

Commonwealth

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills to which Commonwealth organisations his Department provides grant funding; and how much it has provided to each in each of the last 10 years.

Edward Davey: The Department does not record grant funding under the heading of Commonwealth organisations and generally does not use this definition. It is unable to provide details of any grant funding without the names of specific organisations.

Departmental Civil Servants

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many employees of his Department and its predecessors attended Civil Service Live in  (a) 2008,  (b) 2009 and  (c) 2010; and what estimate he has made of the (i) employee working hours taken up by and (ii) cost to his Department and its predecessors of such attendance in each such year.

Edward Davey: Civil Service Live events are owned and managed by the private company Dods, the publishers of Civil Service World, who bear the financial risks. The overall delegate numbers for Civil Service Live in 2008, 2009 and 2010 were approximately 6,000, 8,000 and 7,700 respectively. Delegate registration is managed centrally by Dods. Departments do not keep a detailed record of every member of staff that attends.
	Civil servants do not pay to attend Civil Service Live events. There will have been some travel and subsistence costs for delegates, which are paid for by individual Departments. Civil servants attending the event will have followed the travel and subsistence guidelines set by the Department.

Departmental Regulation

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which of his Department's regulations are under review; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: In the Budget the Government announced plans for reducing the regulatory burdens on business, including the introduction of a one-in-one out system for new regulations and a fundamental review of all regulation inherited from the previous Government scheduled for introduction over the coming year. These regulations will not be implemented until they have been reviewed and re-agreed by the Reducing Regulation Cabinet Committee.
	As part of a wider review of employment law, the Department for Business Innovation and Skills will also be reviewing laws within relevant policy areas to
	"ensure they maximise flexibility for both parties while protecting fairness and providing the competitive environment required for enterprise to thrive."
	The Your Freedom website launched by the Deputy Prime Minister on 1 July 2010, will also give members of the public the opportunity to suggest existing regulations for removal, in order to reduce the burden on business.

Departmental Travel

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate his Department has made of its expenditure on travel undertaken in an official capacity by each Minister in his Department in (i) May 2010 and (ii) June 2010.

Edward Davey: As set out in the Ministerial Code Departments will publish, at least quarterly, details of all travel overseas by Ministers. Information for the first quarter will be published as soon as it is ready.
	All travel is undertaken in accordance with the Ministerial Code.

Departmental Utilities

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much  (a) his Department and its predecessors and  (b) its agencies and non-departmental public bodies spent on (i) electricity, (ii) water, (iii) heating and (iv) telephone services in each year since 1997.

Edward Davey: The following figures relate to spend by this Department and its predecessors on utilities and telephones since 2003/04. Costs are not available prior to this. Utility figures for the years 2003/04, 2004/05 and 2005/06 cannot be split by separate services as this information is not available. Telephone costs show spend from the Department's central budget and do not include any costs for mobile phones/line rental that may have been purchased by individual Directorates.
	
		
			  £000 
			   2003/4  2004/5  2005/6  2006/7  2007/8  2008/9  2009/10 
			 Electricity - - - 1,576 1,598 2,079 2,149 
			 Water - - - 188 70 90 116 
			 Gas - - - 70 151 273 180 
			 Utilities 1,025 1,243 1,501 - - - - 
			 Telephones 2,540 2,573 3,077 2,191 2,271 1,635 2,282 
		
	
	Information for non departmental public bodies is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	I have approached the Chief Executives of the Insolvency Service, Companies House, the National Measurement Office, the Intellectual Property Office and the Skills Funding Agency and they will respond to the hon. Friend directly.
	 Letter from Gareth Jones, dated 7 July 2010:
	I am replying on behalf of Companies House to your Parliamentary Question tabled 6 July 2010, UIN 7581 to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	Companies House's financial records do not go back as far as 1997. In each year for which figures are available Companies House spent the following on electricity, water, heating, and telephone services:
	
		
			 £ 
			 Year Electricity Water Gas Telephone Services 
			 2009 630,934 32,485 54,224 474,758 
			 2008 603,037 38,285 77,635 437,689 
			 2007 446,013 35,434 44,374 505,699 
			 2006 471,152 27,409 60,960 486,212 
			 2005 405,785 26,245 52,634 356,985 
		
	
	 Letter from Stephen Speed, dated 7 July 2010:
	The Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has asked me to reply to your question how much  (a) his Department and its predecessors and  (b) its agencies and non-departmental public bodies spent on (i) electricity, (ii) water, (iii) heating and (iv) telephone services in each year since 1997.
	The Insolvency Service Executive Agency of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills is unable to provide the information requested for each year since 1997
	Accounting records are only available from 2003/2004. Heating costs are not separately identifiable as they are normally included in building maintenance or rent costs. Costs for the use of gas are available for the reporting period and are shown below. All amounts are in £000s.
	
		
			  Year  Electricity  Water  Gas  Telephone 
			 2003/2004 215 21 20 600 
			 2004/2005 243 27 18 531 
			 2005/2006 332 20 22 681 
			 2006/2007 447 24 27 853 
			 Note(1) 
			 2007/2008 509 15 34 984 
			 2008/2009 628 18 17 1,287 
			 2009/2010 676 21 56 1,061 
			 (1) Companies Investigation Branch merged with The Insolvency Service from 2006-07. Figures from 2006-07 onwards therefore include both The Insolvency Service and the Companies Investigation Branch 
		
	
	 Letter from Geoff Russell, dated 13 July 2010:
	I am replying on behalf of the Skills Funding Agency to your Parliamentary Question tabled on 6 July (UIN 7581), to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, concerning spend on (i) electricity, (ii) water, (iii) heating and (iv) telephone services in the Department and its agencies.
	The Skills Funding Agency was set up as an agency of BIS on 1 April 2010. Since that date we have spent the following:
	
		
			  £ 
			 (i) Electricity 119,000 
			 (ii) Water nil 
			 (iii) Heating (gas) 19,000 
			 (iv) Telephone services 405,000 
		
	
	 Letter from Peter Mason, dated 15 July 2010:
	I am responding in respect of the National Measurement Office to your Parliamentary Question tabled on 6 July 2010, to the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills asking about expenditure on electricity, water, heating and telephone services in each year since 1997.
	Information on such expenditure prior to 2001 is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
	Since 2001, the National Measurement Office and its predecessor, the National Weights and Measures Laboratory, spent the following:
	
		
			  £ 
			   Electricity  Water  Heating (Gas)  Telephone services 
			 2001 12,047.11 (1)- 3,227.78 13,465.54 
			 2002 22,006.74 (1)- 9,829.14 16,633.40 
			 2003 12,048.97 (1)- 12,873.50 16,515.91 
			 2004 48,198.79 (1)- 17,496.15 22,499.20 
			 2005 54,186.50 (1)- 18,549.25 16,849.33 
			 2006 28,429.07 (1)- 31,675.74 18,212.14 
			 2007 38,935.78 (1)- 23,298.74 16,722.24 
			 2008 40,789.46 30,500.00 26,112.78 19,665.22 
			 2009 50,316.96 14,297.02 29,575.94 20,987.34 
			 (1) Water costs prior to 2008 cannot be properly disaggregated because of a lack of sub-metering. 
		
	
	 Letter from John Alty, dated 20 July 2010:
	I am responding in respect of the Intellectual Property Office to your Parliamentary Question tabled 6 July 2010, to the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	The Intellectual Property Office has spent the following amounts on electricity, water heating and telephone services (including data lines). Data for periods before 1999/2000 are not available in the required timescale.
	
		
			  £000 
			   Electricity  Water  Heat  Telecom 
			 2009/10 322 30 99 634 
			 2008/09 366 24 152 616 
			 2007/08 287 29 94 576 
			 2006/07 284 28 131 553 
			 2005/06 267 22 113 526 
			 2004/05 192 28 79 545 
			 2003/04 169 24 87 571 
			 2002/03 164 15 82 655 
			 2001/02 190 24 73 620 
			 2000/01 174 15 72 659 
			 1999/2000 188 20 52 697

Diamond Jubilee 2012: Shops

Sarah Newton: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will encourage large retailers to close their shops on the day appointed to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of Her Majesty the Queen.

Mark Prisk: holding answer 21 July 2010
	No. The Government believe it is a matter for each retailer to decide whether and how it will commemorate this special occasion.

Employment Agencies: EU Law

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the likely effects on the number of jobs created of implementation of the Agency Worker Regulations 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Davey: An impact assessment (IA) on the Agency Workers Regulations was published when they were laid by the previous Government in January. This considered a range of possible dynamic effects, including the impact on job creation. The IA noted that higher costs associated with hiring temporary agency workers may manifest themselves in terms of price (wages) and/or quantity (number of agency workers hired) adjustments, and that the nature of the effect is likely to vary by sector or occupation.

English Language: Training

Kris Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his Department's budget for English as a Second or Other Language training is for 2010-11; what plans he has for the budget in subsequent years; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Davey: This information is not held centrally as budgets are devolved and decisions on individuals developmental needs are taken at a local level.
	Decisions on funding for English as a Second or Other Language training will continue to be made locally based on business and individual needs.

Export Credit Guarantees

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which countries have paid recoveries to the Export Credits Guarantee Department since 2000; how much has been paid by each country; and to what projects these payments relate.

Edward Davey: Recoveries over the period from overseas Governments made in respect of claims paid by ECGD were as follows:
	
		
			  £  million 
			 Algeria 160.0 
			 Angola 74.6 
			 Argentina 9.5 
			 Bosnia and Herzegovina 0.1 
			 Brazil 324.5 
			 Bulgaria 3.6 
			 Croatia 40.4 
			 Ecuador 11.0 
			 Egypt 49.5 
			 Gabon 97.6 
			 Ghana 21.3 
			 Grenada 0.2 
			 Indonesia 402.8 
			 Jamaica 0.4 
			 Jordan 226.0 
			 Kenya 19.2 
			 Libyan Arab Jamahiriya 16.4 
			 Mexico 66.3 
			 Montenegro 0.4 
			 Morocco 44.0 
			 Nigeria 625.2 
			 Pakistan 0.9 
			 Peru 85.1 
			 Philippines 26.0 
			 Poland 436.5 
			 Russian Federation 633.5 
			 Serbia 10.6 
			 Vietnam 1.5 
		
	
	The original defaults covered thousands of contracts over many years involving a very wide range of UK capital and consumer goods. Most of the claims were consolidated and repaid under multilaterally negotiated debt agreements and it is no longer possible to identify the precise nature of the exports.

Foreign Investment in UK: Israel

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assistance his Department provides to businesses based in Israel seeking to invest in  (a) the UK,  (b) the North East and  (c) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency; how much financial assistance it has provided in each of the last 13 years; and what estimate he has made of the proportion of annual investment to the North East from such businesses attributable to the work of One NorthEast.

Mark Prisk: The information requested is as follows:
	 Assistance to businesses based in Israel seeking to invest in the UK
	UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) is the Government Department with responsibility for attracting foreign direct investment into the UK. It is the joint responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs. UKTI provides bespoke information and location advice to potential and existing foreign direct investors. This work is delivered through UKTI's global network, in partnership with a range of organisations, including English regional development agencies and devolved administration economic development agencies. Overseas, the UKTI network is based in British embassies, high commissions and Consulates-General, including a UKTI inward investment team at the British embassy in Tel Aviv.
	In the financial year 2009-10 UK Trade and Investment provided approximately £16 million, via BIS, specifically for foreign direct investment work by the English regional development agencies. Devolved administrations have separate funding arrangements.
	This was part of a total of approximately £80 million spent globally by UKTI in the same period on foreign direct investment work.
	UKTI assisted a total of 57 foreign direct investment projects from Israel which located or expanded in the UK in the financial years 1997-98 to 2009-10 inclusive (see Table A). Of these, 15 were assisted in collaboration with one or more RDAs or devolved administration economic development agencies. Additionally, English RDAs or devolved administration economic development agencies assisted a further 14 such projects in which UKTI was not directly involved.
	 Assistance to businesses based in Israel seeking to invest in the North East of England
	ONE North East is the organisation which, in collaboration with UKTI and partner organisations, assists inward investors to locate and expand in the North East of England. The Middlesbrough South and Cleveland constituency is covered by the inward investment team at ONE North East.
	UKTI assisted a total of three foreign direct investment projects from Israel which located or expanded in the North East of England in the financial years 1997-98 to 2009-10 inclusive (see Table B). All of these were assisted in collaboration with ONE North East. Additionally, ONE North East assisted a further two such projects in which UKTI was not directly involved.
	Of this total of five projects, three located or expanded in the Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency. All three were assisted by UKTI in collaboration with ONE North East.
	 Financial Assistance in each of the last 13 years
	UK Trade and Investment does not provide financial assistance to inward investors. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and RDAs do, according to their respective roles and competences. In the period from financial year 2002-03 to 2009-10 inclusive, One North East provided a total of £1,362,600 to such projects in the North East of England, of which £870,000 went to such projects in the Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency. In 1998-99 a Regional Selective Assistance payment of £50,000 was made via Government Office in connection with a project in the North East region. The annual breakdown of these figures is given in Table C.
	 Source:
	One North East, and Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
	 Proportion of annual investment to the North East from such businesses attributable to the work of ONE
	During the period 1997-98 to 2009-10 inclusive, 99 foreign direct investment projects from Israel located or expanded in the UK. Of these, six located or expanded in the North East of England. As indicated above, three were assisted jointly by UKTI and ONE North East. Additionally, ONE North East assisted a further two such projects in which UKTI was not directly involved.
	 Source:
	UK Trade and Investment
	
		
			  Breakdown of UKTI recorded foreign direct investment projects from Israel in each year from 1997-98 to 2009-10 showing amount of financial assistance, the number of projects assisted by UKTI and/or ONE North East locating or expanding in the North East of England, and the number of such projects locating or expanding  in the constituency of Middlesb rough South and East Cleveland 
			  A: National figures 
			   Total number of projects into UK from Israel-all sources  Total number of projects with RDA/DA only involvement from Israel  Total number of projects with RPA/PA and UKTI involvement from Israel  Total number of projects with UKTI only involvement from Israel 
			 1997-98 0 0 0 0 
			 1998-99 0 0 0 0 
			 1999-2000 0 0 0 0 
			 2000-01 2 0 0 0 
			 2001-02 5 0 0 0 
			 2002-03 8 3 0 1 
			 2003-04 7 1 5 0 
			 2004-05 6 0 3 2 
			 2005-06 13 0 2 7 
			 2006-07 12 2 2 7 
			 2007-08 14 3 1 5 
			 2008-09 16 3 1 7 
			 2009-10 16 2 1 13 
			 Total 99 14 15 42 
		
	
	
		
			  North East region 
			  B: Project numbers 
			   Total number of projects into the NE from Israel-all sources  Total number of projects with North East region only involvement from Israel  Total number of projects with North East region and UKTI involvement from Israel  Total number of projects with UKTI only involvement from Israel  Total number of projects into Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency from Israel 
			 1997-98 0 0 0 0 0 
			 1998-99 0 0 0 0 0 
			 1999-2000 0 0 0 0 0 
			 2000-01 0 0 0 0 0 
			 2001-02 1 0 0 0 0 
			 2002-03 1 1 0 0 0 
			 2003-04 1 0 1 0 1 
			 2004-05 0 0 0 0 0 
			 2005-06 1 0 1 0 1 
			 2006-07 0 0 0 0 0 
			 2007-08 0 0 0 0 0 
			 2008-09 0 0 0 0 0 
			 2009-10 2 1 1 0 1 
			 Total 6 2 3 0 3 
			  Source: UKTI database 
		
	
	
		
			  C: Financial assistance from ONE 
			   Financial assistance provided to FDI projects from Israel in the North East Region (£) 
			 1997-98 0 
			 1998-99 50,000 
			 1999-2000 0 
			 2000-01 0 
			 2001-02 0 
			 2002-03 90,000 
			 2003-04 90,000 
			 2004-05 35,600 
			 2005-06 77,000 
			 2006-07 0 
			 2007-08 0 
			 2008-09 1,070,000 
			 2009-10 0 
			 Total 1,412,600 
			  Source: One North East and BIS

Insolvency

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what mechanisms are in place to protect small and medium-sized enterprises against the effects of insolvencies upstream in a supply chain.

Edward Davey: Our insolvency regime provides a number of mechanisms to ensure that companies who may be facing financial distress but could remain viable have the opportunity to reach a compromise with their creditors. There is also a range of business support available, especially for SMEs. The Business Link service provides customers with access to help and support, offering free, impartial advice and information. Business Link is delivered via three channels-a network of business advisors, a national helpline (0845 6009006) and an online portal:
	www.businesslink.gov.uk

Local Enterprise Partnerships: Worcestershire

Robin Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what representations his Department has received on the establishment of  (a) a Worcestershire Local Enterprise Partnership and  (b) other such partnerships to cover (i) Worcester and (ii) other areas of Worcestershire.

Mark Prisk: Local authorities and business from Worcestershire have been involved in discussions on the Government's proposals for local enterprise partnerships.
	The Government wrote to local authorities and business groups on 29 June inviting outline proposals for local enterprise partnerships by the 6 September.

Manufacturing Industries: Middlesbrough

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will provide funding to attract private manufacturing capital in Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency.

Mark Prisk: The Government have no specific plans to provide funding to attract private manufacturing capital in Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland, but manufacturers there can continue to access venture capital funding through a national programme of Enterprise Capital Funds which businesses can approach for growth funding via an equity share. The north-east has also now launched a £120 million venture capital and loan fund which has a number of funds which support a range of sectors including manufacturing. This is being sponsored by One North East, and will be administered by North East Finance.

National Composites Strategy

Nicky Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his plans are for the future of the National Composites Strategy.

Mark Prisk: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave previously to the hon. Member for Bristol East (Kerry McCarthy) on 20 July 2010 ,  Official Report, column 299W.

National Vocational Qualifications

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many people resident in  (a) Peterborough constituency and  (b) England had an NVQ3 level or above on 1 April in each year since 2008; and if he will make a statement.

John Hayes: holding answer 20 July 2010
	The following table shows the number and percentage of working age adults (men aged 19 to 64 and women aged 19 to 59) in Peterborough unitary authority and England that hold qualifications equivalent to NVQ level 3 or above. These estimates are from the Annual Population Survey (APS) and cover the period from January to December in each of 2008 and 2009, the latest year for which data are available.
	
		
			  Number and percentage of people aged 19 to 59/64 holding qualifications at NVQ level 3 or above, 2008 and 2009 
			   Working age adults at level 3 or above  Percentage of all working age adults  Confidence intervals 
			   2008  2009  2008  2009  2008  2009 
			 Peterborough UA 37,000 37,000 39.1 40.3 +/- 3.0 +/- 3.2% 
			 England 14,678,000 15,195,000 49.5 50.9 +/- 0.3 +/- 0.3 
			  Base: Aged 19 to 59/64.  Source: Annual Population Survey. 
		
	
	While local authority level estimates can be calculated from the Annual Population Survey, the sample is not large enough to provide estimates for smaller geographies such as parliamentary constituencies. Furthermore, estimates for local authorities are subject to large sampling variability and should therefore be treated with caution and viewed in conjunction with their Confidence intervals(1) (CIs), which indicate how accurate an estimate is. For example, a CI of +/-3.0 percentage points (pp) means that the true value is between 3pp above the estimate and 3pp below the estimate.
	Please note that these estimates will not be comparable with the national estimates from the Labour Force Survey, which BIS uses to report headline measures of qualifications held within the population at national level. As well as being based on different time periods, the estimates from the two data sets are complied using different methodologies. The method used to calculate the headline Labour Force Survey measure allows for known issues arising in capturing data on attainment through social surveys, but this method cannot be applied to the Annual Population Survey data. As a result, the estimates provided in the footnote potentially underestimate attainment within the population.
	(1) Those given are 95% confidence intervals.

National Vocational Qualifications: Bexley

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many people resident in  (a) Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency and  (b) the London Borough of Bexley were awarded an NVQ Level 3 or above by 1 April in each year since 2008; and if he will make a statement.

David Willetts: The following table shows the number and percentage of working age adults (men aged 19 to 64 and women aged 19 to 59) in the London borough of Bexley that hold qualifications equivalent to NVQ level 3 or above. These estimates are from the Annual Population Survey (APS) and cover the period from January to December in each of 2008 and 2009, the latest year for which data are available.
	
		
			  Number and percentage of people aged 19-59/64 holding qualifications at NVQ Level 3 or above, 2008 and 2009 
			   Working age adults at Level 3 or above  Percentage of all working age adults  Confidence Intervals (percentage) 
			   2008  2009  2008  2009  2008  2009 
			 Bexley 59,000 62,000 46.4 49.1 +/- 4.7 +/- 4.8 
			  Base: Aged19-59/64  Source: Annual Population Survey 
		
	
	While local authority level estimates can be calculated from the Annual Population Survey, the sample is not large enough to provide estimates for smaller geographies such as parliamentary constituencies. Furthermore, estimates for local authorities are subject to large sampling variability and should therefore be treated with caution and viewed in conjunction with their Confidence Intervals(1) (CIs), which indicate how accurate an estimate is. For example, a CI of +/-4.7 percentage points (pp) means that the true value is between 4.7pp above the estimate and 4.7pp below the estimate.
	It is important to note that these estimates will not be comparable with the national estimates from the Labour Force Survey, which BIS uses to report headline measures of qualifications held within the population at national level. As well as being based on different time periods, the estimates from the two datasets are compiled using different methodologies. The method used to calculate the headline Labour Force Survey measure allows for known issues arising in capturing data on attainment through social surveys, but this method cannot be applied to the Annual Population Survey data. As a result, the estimates provided above potentially underestimate attainment within the population.
	(1) Those given are 95% confidence intervals

Older Workers

Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will make it his policy to support the PRIME initiative of events and training to return older people to work.

Mark Prisk: The coalition Government are committed to making this decade the most entrepreneurial and dynamic in our history. We will put in place a coherent and comprehensive strategy for enterprise and we welcome the contribution of all organisations that are assisting people to start a business, including PRIME.

One NorthEast: Grants

James Wharton: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what proportion of the grants made by or organised through One NorthEast went to organisations in  (a) the public sector and  (b) the private sector in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how much organisations in  (a) the Tees Valley,  (b) Tyneside and  (c) Northumberland received in grants through One NorthEast in each of the last five years.

Mark Prisk: The Department allocates budgets to regional development agencies. The agencies determine which projects to support, subject to the terms of the Accountability and Financial Framework and their delegated financial authorities. RDAs' investments have been guided by the Regional Economic Strategy and their Corporate Plans. The Department does not hold details of individual projects supported by the RDAs within their delegated financial authorities.

Regional Development Agencies

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether his Department has guidelines to ensure a geographical spread of projects funded by regional development agencies across their region.

Mark Prisk: This Department allocates budgets to regional development agencies. The Agencies determine which projects to support, subject to the terms of the Accountability and Financial Framework and their delegated financial authorities. RDAs' investments in their regions have been guided by their corporate plans and the Regional Economic Strategy. The Regional Economic Strategy identifies the key sectors and geographical areas for investment, and is produced in consultation with stakeholders in the regions.

Regional Development Agencies: Assets

David Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when he expects to make a decision on the future ownership arrangements for assets purchased as part of regeneration programmes by regional development agencies.

Mark Prisk: Regional development agencies own a range of assets which were acquired for regeneration purposes. Some of these assets may be sold by agencies as part of their normal programme of disposal over the next year. We will be discussing with RDAs, their partners and other Departments the future ownership of other assets. No final decisions have been made.

Regional Planning and Development

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the effects on  (a) science and innovation and  (b) industry of proposed reductions in regional spending.

Mark Prisk: Our proposals are for restructuring the delivery landscape for economic development. Replacing the regional development agencies (RDAs) with local enterprise partnerships will ensure that these partnerships better reflect the natural economic geography of the areas that they serve.
	Reorganising the delivery of economic development will ensure a focused targeted delivery of policy/services in areas where it can have the most benefit, and we would not expect that that this transition will have a negative impact on science and innovation or industry in the English regions.

Regional Planning and Development: Finance

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans his Department has to reallocate funding previously allocated to regional development agencies.

Mark Prisk: The forthcoming spending review will inform future funding allocations.

Strategic Investment Fund: Haringey

David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much each organisation in the London Borough of Haringey has received from the Strategic Investment Fund.

Mark Prisk: The Strategic Investment Fund (SIF) is funding around 45 different projects and programmes.
	The SIF is a UK-wide fund, and a number of projects supported by the SIF are themselves UK-wide in geographical scope. They will benefit companies across the UK, including those in Haringey.
	A number of other projects supported under the SIF can be identified to specific geographical locations, though the benefits of the projects will often be felt over a much wider area. There are no SIF projects located specifically in Haringey.

Wind Power: North East

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he plans to proceed with the £500 million grant to the renewable wind energy industry in the North East announced in March 2010.

Mark Prisk: The Government have committed to proceeding with previously announced projects in the north east that support the renewable wind energy industry notably £18.5 million for offshore wind turbine test sites and £11.5 million for an extension to the wind turbine blade test facility, both at the National Renewable Energy Centre (NaREC) at Blyth in Northumberland.